Childhood Depression Research Program
and
Child Development Research Program
Since 1977, the Childhood Depression (and Child Development) Research
Programs have included a series of studies seeking to better understand the
nature of mood disorders, including depressive disorders, that onset during the
juvenile years. The studies have entailed examining the course of depression in
school age children and following them up into adulthood, the characteristics of
the family and the environment of such children, and the impact of a major life
stress (onset of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) on children’s adjustment
and the likelihood of depression developing. Observations gathered during these
projects have led to two further initiatives: a) the design and testing of a new
developmentally based psychotherapy for chronic depression in childhood and b) a
hypotheses based Program Project of research on risk for early onset depression.
The ongoing Program Project of research is now described.
Risk Factors in Childhood-Onset Depression: A Program Project of Research
(funded by the National Institute of Mental Health)
The Program Project's (PP) guiding hypothesis is that, Childhood Onset
Depression (COD) occurs in the context of genetic predisposition and that,
disruption in the early development of emotion regulation in multiple
(somatic/sensory, social/interpersonal, cognitive, behavioral) regulatory
domains is necessary for the expression of the disorder. The projects therefore
examine various correlates and potential vulnerability factors of mood
disorders, focusing on processes that are involved in the regulation of
dysphoric mood states. Studies 1, 2, and 3 (conducted in the USA) and Study 4
(conducted in Hungary) use converging multidisciplinary approaches to examine
molecular genetic, psychophysiologic, psychosocial, and behavioral indices of
vulnerability associated with COD. We target two types of families: those
containing a young adult with a documented history of either unipolar or bipolar
childhood-onset mood disorder (Studies 1, 2, 3), and those containing a
depressed child and his/her affected or unaffected sibling (Study 4). As
relevant, adults with juvenile onset mood disorders are compared to young adults
with no history of psychopathology.
- Study 1 uses molecular genetic technology to examine genes that may be
implicated in COD and related psychophysiologic phenotypes (defined by Study 2),
and as a function of various behavioral phenotypes.
- Study 2 uses electroencephalographic, electrocardiographic, and
electromyographic techniques to examine domains of emotion regulation in adult
probands, juvenile offspring, and adult siblings of probands, under laboratory
conditions.
- Study 3 uses behavioral observations of mother-child interactions to explore
the developmental unfolding of emotion regulation in the child and the proband
parent.
- Study 4 uses various genetic approaches in a Hungarian national sample of
clinically referred youths to investigate genetic liability in connection with
diagnostic status and selected indexes of emotion regulation among juvenile
depressed probands, their juvenile siblings, and parents.
Testing specific hypotheses and integrating results across studies will provide
a multifaceted characterization of vulnerability and potential risk for COD and
related juvenile onset mood disorder. The results will contribute to our
understanding of how depression develops and how it may be prevented.
Eligibility:
Participation is currently restricted to adults, up to age 38,
with a history of childhood/adolescent onset bipolar disorder, and their
children between the ages of 3 to 9 years.
For Information:
Please call us at: 412-246-5700 or 888-624-1012
Principal Investigator: Maria Kovacs, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry. Phone:
412-246-5708; FAX: 412-246-5455
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