IU researchers given $1.9 million for research to explore schizophrenia

A group of IU researchers has been granted $1.9 million from the National Institute of Mental Health to examine the neurobiological basis of schizophrenia.

There are about 2.4 million adults in the United States who suffer from this disorder. The initiative will last five years and the researchers will study the function of the cerebellum in schizophrenia.

“Our initial research points to a fundamental disturbance in the function of the cerebellum in not only individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia but also in individuals at risk for developing the disorder, such as close family members and individuals showing sub-clinical symptoms,” William Hetrick, chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, said in a press release. “Our neuroanatomical, functional and behavioral findings are converging to suggest that cerebellar abnormalities are associated with, and may contribute to, cognitive and clinical symptoms of schizophrenia, Hetrick said. Testing this hypothesis is the innovative focus of this project.”

Hetrick oversees this team of researchers, which includes Olaf Sporns, Aina Puce, Dae-Jin Kim, Brian O’Donnell, Amanda Bolbecker and Sharlene Newman, all from the psychology department, and Alan Breier from the Department of Psychiatry.

—Sydney Murray