NEW YORK – In this first of four interviews, the new director of the National Institute of Mental Health, Joshua A. Gordon, MD, PhD, shares his thoughts about the emerging nosology of depression and whether it might be possible to identify and turn off genetic pathways implicated in depression without impacting creativity, sexual drive, and appetite.
Dr. Gordon is a practicing psychiatrist and a neuroscientist whose primary area of research is in the emerging field of optogenetics, which uses light to trace the genetically predetermined neurocircuitry of various mental states through the brain.
He steps into his leadership role with NIMH at a time when some have voiced concern that the institute has placed too much emphasis on future therapies, instead of on what can be done in the here and now to treat mental disorders.
Also in this series, Dr. Gordon discusses how, under his leadership, NIMH will balance the priorities of clinicians in everyday practice with those of researchers. He also explains the finer points of optogenetics. Currently, the technique is being studied only in mouse models; but if it makes it to human trials, researchers will explore the ability to switch on and off certain mental states.
Dr. Gordon talks about the ethical implications of optogenetics, as well as his belief in the biological basis of all thought and emotion, and how that guides the search for targeted treatments.
Finally, he’ll discuss what he believes NIMH’s top priorities should be, and whether he will blog as did his predecessor, Thomas R. Insel, MD.
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