Phoenix, AZ - The Institute for Mental Health Research (IMHR) announced today that it will fund six new grants for scientific research in the areas of mental health and mental disorders.  IMHR grants are given out once a year and are intended to be seed money. They are designed to fuel new scientific research and to attract outside grant and commercial investment to Arizona's scientists and research centers.

IMHR awards one-year grants of up to $25,000 for individual scientists and up to $50,000 for collaborative grants between two or more institutions (e.g., universities, hospitals or research institutions). Over the past three years, IMHR has invested $800,000 in 28 seed grants, which IMHR-funded scientists have leveraged into almost $5 million in additional outside funding.

"We are proud of our five to one return on research funding," said Dr. Andrew Skodol, President of IMHR. "This year's grant recipients are impressive and their work is certain to bring in even more outside money and attention to Arizona."

The institute received an unprecedented 29 grant applications but was only able to fund six new studies. "There were many more worthy scientists, but we were only able to fund six projects due to insufficient resources and contributions," said Dr. Skodol. "We are currently in great need of community leaders, philanthropists and businesses who are interested in investing in cures for mental illness, and in the future of Arizona's scientific community."

IMHR's 2008 Seed Grant Recipients are:

Cheryl Conrad, PhD - ASU Department of Psychology ($25,000)

Chronic Stress and the Impact on How Genders Experience Depression

This research examines chronic stress and why it is more likely to create depression in women. By teaching the brain to maintain flexibility to overcome chronic stress, new depression treatments and interventions may be developed that are gender specific.

Michelle Perfect, PhD - University of Arizona multiple departments ($24,964)

Integrating Medical and Psychological Services for Adolescents with Diabetes University of Arizona departments of Special Education, Rehabilitation and School Psychology; Psychiatry; and Pediatrics are working together to design an integrated services model for adolescents with diabetes.  Over 10% of children with diabetes experience mental health challenges and less than 20% of those children receive treatment. The study will focus on discovering what these children need so that appropriate interventions, that are culturally sensitive, can be developed and implemented in treatment clinics.

Richard Lane, MD, PhD - University of Arizona and Cynthia Stonnington, MD - Mayo Clinic Arizona ($50,000)

Emotion and Chronic Pain (Deficits in Mental Representation of Emotion in Somatizing Patients)

University of Arizona College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, and Mayo Clinic Arizona are studying how the ability to express emotion correlates to chronic pain.  One-half to one-third of all patients experiencing pain, many of whom complain of chronic pain, cannot be diagnosed with a physical illness. Many physicians look to emotional issues as a possible source of the pain. The study will explore the correlation between physical pain and the person's ability to recognize and express emotional pain.

Ameila Gallitano, MD, PhD and Matthew Huentelman, PhD - University of Arizona College of Medicine, Basic Medical Sciences and the Translational Genomics Research Institute ($25,000)

Schizophrenia

Many genes play a role in the illness of schizophrenia.  The researchers will look at two genes that have not previously been studied to determine how environment interacts with genetics and to identify a biological pathway that may allow for early detection, prevention and treatment of schizophrenia.

Patricia Haynes, PhD and Michael Mark, PhD - University of Arizona, Department of Psychology and Southern Arizona Veterans Administration HealthCare Services ($50,000)

Anxiety and Sleep

Veterans returning from deployment or active duty will participate in studies to understand how sleep patterns established during military service and posttraumatic stress disorders are impacting their ability to achieve deep sleep. New sleep treatments and habits will be tested to determine the obstacles to treatment and to develop a preferred treatment manual for clinicians.

Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant, PhD and Carlos Valiente, PhD. - Arizona State University, School of Psychology and School of Social and Family Dynamics  ($25,000)

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Resilience

The Arizona Twin project is designed to be a longitudinal study of identical and fraternal twins to gain understanding of how they bounce back from adversity.  This study is unique, in that the participants will reflect the demographic make-up of Arizona and its many cultures.  Prior twin studies have taken place in areas that are homogeneous and primarily Caucasian. 

Since its founding in 2001, IMHR has awarded 28 pilot study grants to 23 different Arizona mental health researchers from eight institutions, including the University of Arizona (College of Medicine and Department of Psychology), Arizona State University, Barrow Neurological Institute, Translational Genomics Research Institute (T-Gen), Sun Health Research Institute, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and Carl T. Hayden Veterans Administration Medical Center.

IMHR is a progressive scientific and medical enterprise, allowing scientists across the state to collaborate. The mission of the Institute for Mental Health Research is to accelerate the understanding, treatment and, ultimately, prevention of mental illnesses.

Along with awarding the 28 pilot study grants, the Institute's accomplishments include recruitment of four new mental health researchers to Arizona, contribution to the creation of an autism and ADHD research clinic, support of numerous educational conferences, and creation of the IMHR "best practices" and state-of-the-art mental health research website, in collaboration with community mental health experts.