Stanley Center & Poitras Center Joint Translational Seminar Series: Dr. Stephan Heckers

April 28, 2015

“How can we make progress in psychiatric research?”

Abstract: In this talk I will combine a review of my own research with a critical reflection on progress made in psychiatry research. My research has focused on mechanisms and consequences of hippocampal dysfunction in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. While hippocampal pathology is now established as a robust finding in psychotic disorders, it has not yet provided an avenue for better detection nor guided the development of new treatments. When reflecting on how to make progress in psychiatry research, I have become aware of some fundamental misconceptions about psychiatric diagnoses. While psychiatric diagnoses can guide clinical management, they are not good starting points for researchers. I will review several options for how to advance psychiatry research that is not constrained by current models of psychiatric disorder.