Neuropsychiatry is the branch of neuroscience focused on the unbreakable link between the brain’s physiological processes and the way humans think and function. Neuropsychiatry may hold the keys to improving how mental illness is diagnosed, treated and — ideally — prevented. The more the field of neuropsychiatry advances, the better society’s response will be to the problems of untreated mental illness.
As the only entity of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, the OHSU Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI) aspires to excellence in teaching, research and service in neuropsychiatry, leading the way toward breakthroughs in the understanding and treatment of diseases of the brain. NPI is committed to the pursuit of translational — or “bench-to-bedside” — research that accelerates the rate at which laboratory discoveries become practical treatments and cures in the clinical environment.
NPI is a component of the Department of Psychiatry within the OHSU School of Medicine. Through the power of partnerships with other OHSU departments and institutes involved in brain research, NPI will make significant contributions to this critical field.
NPI: A Catalyst for Progress
Spurred by scientific developments in molecular biology, neuroimaging and genetics, researchers are now gaining increasingly accurate insights into the function of the human brain, with intense interest in the biochemistry and physiology of brain function in both normal and diseased states. Despite this heightened level of activity, new clinical applications have been slow to materialize. NPI will identify existing translational research at OHSU and initiate new projects that bridge the gap between basic science and clinical treatment.
A key purpose of NPI is to teach basic and applied brain science to students, residents, OHSU faculty and regional community clinicians. Medical practitioners have difficulty staying abreast of rapid advances in neuropsychiatry. This prolongs the time it takes for promising new treatments to become the standard of care. NPI will play a key role in the teaching and dissemination of important basic and applied science in the field to medical practitioners.
Achieving this vision will require commitment — and investment.
Neuropsychiatric Institute Points of Distinction:
- Only institute of its kind in the Pacific Northwest
- Unique focus on translational research
- Committed to improving pyschiatric care for rural and other under-served populations
- Close collaboration with 13 cross-disciplinary centers within OHSU Brain Institute
Neuropsychiatry Institute Giving Priorities
Unrestricted Gifts
One of the most powerful forms of philanthropic support for complex institutions such as OHSU is unrestricted giving. Such gifts offer the flexibility to provide support where it’s most needed. Unrestricted gifts to the OHSU Neuropsychiatric Institute help enable a full range of healing, discovery and outreach activities.
Bipolar disorder research
Donor support will enable the institute to establish Oregon’s only treatment and research clinic in the field of biopolar (manic-depressive) disorder. The NPI will not only work toward discovering better psychopharmacological and verbal therapies, but also to develop new approaches to preventing and curing this dangerous condition.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder research
The NPI will pioneer new treatments for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is a substantial barrier to learning, social adjustment and employment. Affecting a significant number of both children and adults, ADHD is a condition urgently in need of new treatment options. Funding is required for neuroimaging studies to visualize areas of the brain changed by treatment for ADHD.
Autism research
As part of OHSU’s broad, multidisciplinary effort to unlock the mysteries of autism, and to improve how it is diagnosed and treated, the NPI seeks donor support to fund new investigations of autism’s physiological underpinnings.
Sleep disorders research
OHSU is home to internationally known experts in sleep disorders research, yet it lacks an adequate clinical facility in which to study this range of disorders. Donor support will fund key research aimed at curbing the physical, emotional, professional and social affects of insufficient sleep.
Human genomics
With donor support, OHSU could recruit a psychiatric expert in the application of genomic data in brain dysfunction research. With the right people, OHSU could lead in the development of new diagnostics and treatments for genetic-based brain dysfunctions.
