In the News

Fourth-year resident in General Psychiatry Seth Christman, MD, and James G Blakemore Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Warren Taylor, MD, MHSc, recently published the article "Accelerated brain aging predicts impaired cognitive performance and greater disability in geriatric but not midlife adult depression" in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

Several Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences faculty recently contributed to a new published article in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The article, "Thalamic Nuclei Volumes in Psychotic Disorders and in Youths with Psychosis Spectrum Disorders," was produced by Anna S. Huang, Ph.D., Baxter P. Rogers, Ph.D., Julia M. Sheffield, Ph.D., Maria E. Jalbrzikowski, Ph.D., Alan Anticevic, Ph.D., Jennifer Urbano Blackford, Ph.D., Stephan Heckers, M.D., and Neil D. Woodward, Ph.D.

Maureen McHugo, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, was lead author on a new article published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. "Hippocampal volume in early psychosis: a 2-year longitudinal study" was created by Hugo as well as fellow Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences faculty and staff members Kristan Armstrong, LMSW; Maxwell J. Roeske; Neil D. Woodward, Ph.D.; Jennifer Blackford, Ph.D.; and Stephan Heckers, M.D., MSc.

Hippocampal volume and hippocampal neuron density, number and size in schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of postmortem studies Abstract Reduced hippocampal volume is a consistent finding in neuroimaging studies of individuals with schizophrenia. While these studies have the advantage of large-sample sizes, they are unable to quantify the cellular basis of structural or functional changes.

Memory complaints in younger postmenopausal women are associated with differences in brain structure and may serve as an early marker for risk of future cognitive decline, according to a study published June 22 in Menopause by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers. The study, conducted in collaboration with the University of Vermont, looked at the impact of self-reported memory and attention complaints on brain structure in women ages 50-60 who were in the early years after menopause.

Patricia S. Andrews, M.D., Assistant Professor of Geriatric Psychiatry within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, recently published an article titled "Relationship Between Intensive Care Unit Delirium Severity and 2-Year Mortality and Health Care Utilization" for the American Journal of Critical Care.  Click here to read the article.

Jo Ellen Wilson, M.D., MPH, Instructor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, has published a new paper, titled "The Association Between Brain Volumes and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Intensive Care Unit Survivors: A Preliminary Study," in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.  Wilson is also a Ph.D. candidate in the Epidemiology program with VUMC's Institute for Medicine and Public Health and specializes in psychosomatic medicine.

The Vanderbilt Center of Excellence for Children in State Custody (COE) launched a 12-week series, titled "Roots of Resiliency," in partnership with Tennessee Department of Children's Services in response to a request from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's office to provide support for families across the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Warren D. Taylor, M.D., MHSc, and Jennifer U. Blackford, Ph.D., professors of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, have written a new publication detailing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of front-line clinicians.  The manuscript, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, describes physiological changes that occur with stress that lead to burnout and mental health disorders.  It challenges many providers' reluctance to seek treatment and proposes strategies to maintain mental health.

Jenni Blackford, PhD and Meg Benningfield, MD published a viewpoint in JAMA psychiatry along with Kristy Allen, PhD from University of Tennessee, highlighting the need for a greater emphasis on childhood anxiety in psychiatry research and practice.  Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health conditions among youth and contribute to significant costs for society.  In this piece, Drs.