About the Emerge Research Program
PTSD, Depression, Suicidality and Psychedelics
Our work primarily focuses on understanding the mechanisms underlying chronic stress, trauma, depression, and suicidality. We place particular emphasis on neuroenergetics (the study of energy demands in brain function) and the behavioral and neural effects of psychopharmacologic agents (e.g. ketamine, psilocybin).
We are interested in glial cells because of their critical role in glutamate neurotransmission, synaptic plasticity, and neuroenergetics. The pathophysiologic effects of trauma and chronic stress on the tripartite glutamatergic synapse are believed to underlie various biological abnormalities observed across many neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the development of truly novel drugs for stress-based psychiatric disorders and related symptoms (e.g., PTSD, depression, suicidality), directly targeting the negative effects of chronic stress, have been hampered by the limited understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying these distress pathologies in humans, and by the lack of reliable biological assays of treatment target validation.
We focus on establishing biomarkers of target engagement and target validation of distress pathology. We are pursuing this line of research through cross-sectional investigations as well as longitudinal pharmacological investigations, in combination with state-of-the-art multimodal neuroimaging approaches. Psychoplastogens have shown to produce rapid-acting changes in behavior and neurobiology, and thus may be potentially useful both as a direct mode of treatment and as a tool to further explore the brain networks implicated. It is our hope that our work can advance the field’s understanding of neural mechanisms underlying stress-related psychopathology and through this inform improved prevention, diagnostics, risk identification, and treatment including novel drug development.
Program Co-Directors
Chadi G. Abdallah, M.D. is an expert in translational clinical neuroscience, multimodal magnetic resonance neuroimaging, and the use of glutamatergic drugs in trauma- and stress-related psychiatric disorders.
Lynnette A. Averill, Ph.D. is an expert in translational clinical neuroscience with emphasis on pharmacoimaging trials of glutamate-based drugs evaluating behavioral and neural alterations in suicidality and cognitive function in trauma- and stress-related psychiatric disorders.
Our Team
Our team members come from a wide variety of clinical and scientific backgrounds including psychiatry, psychology, human/animal/bench research, neuroscience, and the biomedical, computer, or data sciences. The combined interdisciplinary knowledge and experience provides a great deal of flexibility and perspective as we work to answer challenging and important research questions.
Post-graduates (masters/doctoral/medical) in these fields are welcome to email a CV and brief letter of introduction to Dr. Lynnette Averill (lynnette.averill@yale.edu). Please outline how you see yourself fitting into our work and describe your clinical, research and scientific writing, statistical, and technical backgrounds. If we have an opening and you are well qualified, we will contact you to arrange a brief Zoom introduction to learn more about you and discuss opportunities.
Current Studies
HB1802 - Psilocybin for Veterans with PTSD: Open for Enrollment
Our ongoing research studies will change over time. However, all participants will first enroll in a comprehensive screening protocol to determine eligibility for any other studies, and to collect an MRI brain scan. This screening will involve diagnostic clinical interviews, questionnaires about your medical and psychiatric history/symptoms, and an MRI safety screening. If you are found to be safe to participate in MRI, then we will invite you to participate in a two-hour neuroimaging session (MRI brain scan). Participation in any of our research protocols is voluntary and compensated.
If you are interested in learning more about our research, or wish to participate in a study, please contact us at emerging@bcm.edu.