WALS: Evolution of the Glutamate Models of Psychosis

Dr. Moghaddam is the Ruth Matarazzo Professor in Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU and author of the book Ketamine. Her research employs a systems neuroscience approach to study dynamic brain mechanisms that maintain cognitive and emotional functions in key brain regions implicated in illnesses such as schizophrenia, ADHD, anxiety, and addictive disorders. New research directions include characterization of neuronal systems during adolescence. For her WALS talk, Dr. Moghaddam will describe an etiologically relevant mechanism for adolescent onset of dopamine abnormalities and psychosis. This will include the importance of animal models and an exploration of GRIN2A, which encodes the GluN2A subunit of the NMDA receptor.