Translational Research Related Content

Experiential avoidance (EA) describes how a person cannot remain in contact with particularly unpleasant internal experiences (e.g., thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations) and takes measures to avoid or escape the experiences altogether. Psychiatric literature has linked EA to a range of disorders...

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is estimated to impact about 14 million Americans, or 2% of the U.S. population. The disorder can be marked by unstable mood swings and instability with behaviors and relationships. These symptoms bring significant challenges to an individual regarding their...

In a landmark recognition, a study led by Nikolaos P. Daskalakis, MD, PhD, and Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, of McLean Hospital was recently featured in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Top Science Highlights of 2024. The study, which delves into the biological underpinnings of post...

Lois W. Choi-Kain, MEd, MD, director of the Gunderson Personality Disorders Institute and its research program, is the guest editor of a new issue of the American Journal of Psychotherapy, titled “Good Psychiatric Management of Borderline Personality Disorder.” The journal issue, published March 15...

Christopher M. Palmer, MD, is a leading voice in exploring the intersection of metabolic science and mental health. As the founder and director of McLean Hospital’s new Metabolic and Mental Health Program, Palmer is challenging traditional perspectives by suggesting that many mental health disorders...

A recently launched Phase 1 clinical trial at Mass General Brigham is examining the safety and feasibility of a groundbreaking treatment approach for Parkinson’s disease in which a patient’s stem cells are reprogrammed to replace dopamine cells in the brain damaged by the disease. The first-of-its...

Older adults have the highest rates of suicide in the U.S. population, but most well-known national suicide prevention organizations do not have easily accessible prevention resources targeting this population, according to a new study led by researchers at McLean Hospital, a member of the Mass...

Scientists at McLean Hospital, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Harvard Medical School have discovered a surprising mechanism by which the inherited genetic mutation known to cause Huntington’s disease leads to the death of brain cells. The findings change the understanding of the fatal...

Prescribing rates for stimulants that treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have increased significantly over the past decade, with some of the largest increases reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new study of adult emergency department admissions at Mass General Brigham, led...

New results from the 24-year-long McLean Study of Adult Development (MSAD) reveal a long-term course of symptomatic disorders in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This extensive study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, provides the first comprehensive look into how...

Trauma-related intrusive memories (TR-IMs)—memories related to a traumatic event that come to mind spontaneously—are central symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may be critical treatment targets for PTSD. Their frequency and intensity are usually measured with retrospective reports...

In most substance use disorders, adding behavioral therapy to medical management yields improvement in outcomes. Unexpectedly, this has not been observed when adding behavioral therapy to buprenorphine plus medical management for opioid use disorder (OUD). R. Kathryn McHugh, PhD, chief of Psychology...

Naloxone is now the standard of care for reversing opioid overdoses. However, the stigma about naloxone among health care professionals poses a significant barrier to its distribution. In addition, even medical students who learn to prescribe it and train patients in its use may harbor uncertainty...

E. Kate Webb, PhD, a research fellow at McLean Hospital, led an investigation into whether individual resources and neighborhood resources, like green space, might impact neurobiology and the trajectory of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Her research was published July 31 in JAMA...

A wife had been caring for her husband with dementia at home for four years. She had come to McLean’s geriatric outpatient clinic to find out where to get more help for him. But it soon became apparent that she needed help herself. She was lonely and struggling with making decisions on her own. Her...

In a new study, investigators from McLean Hospital (a member of Mass General Brigham), Harvard Medical School, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP) discovered that the tendency of people’s arousal to wane over the course of brain scans has been distorting...

Psychoeducation is a common feature of effective treatments for borderline personality disorder (BPD), as patients need to understand the illness and the problems for which their treatments are prescribed. Lois W. Choi-Kain, MD, MEd, director of the Gunderson Personality Disorders Institute at...

Community engagement is important for developing research involving patients with mental illness, and funding agencies are increasingly requiring such engagement. However, many researchers are unable to pursue advisory boards with people with lived experience with mental illness, including psychotic...

Schizophrenia is a complex disease with variable presentations. The diverse nature of this mental health disorder has made understanding the mechanisms that cause the disease, and subsequently developing effective treatments, especially challenging. In a new study published May 23 in Science, a team...

A comprehensive approach that examines the intersection of multiple biological processes is necessary to elucidate the development of stress-related disorders. In a new study, investigators from McLean Hospital, a member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, working with colleagues at The...