Research

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty are at the forefront of research into the causes and treatments of mental illness, from the investigation of basic biological mechanisms to the development of new treatment methods.

Research space in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences includes human laboratories, animal laboratories, computer laboratories and clinical research clinics, which are located at the UT-Houston Medical School, Mental Sciences Institute, and Harris County Psychiatric Center.

Current and ongoing research projects include those in the areas of:

• Psychopharmacology
• Cross-cultural psychiatry
• Alzheimer's disease
• Substance abuse
• Autism
• Neuroimaging
• Community mental health
• Schizophrenia
• Attention-deficit disorders
• Behavioral therapies
• Suicide
• Developmental disabilities
• Neuroendocrinology
• Mental retardation
• Psychotherapy
• Affective disorders
• Human agression
• Neurophysiology
• Neuropsychology
• Relapse prevention

These areas of research and expertise have brought national and international recognition to many faculty members. As a result, they have received meritorious research awards.

Continued emphasis on research at all levels plays a vital role in the education of professionals that keeps them abreast of current development in all aspects of mental health care.

Departmental Research Centers

• Center for Human Development Research
• Substance Abuse Research Center and its Treatment Research Center

Research related links

• International Society for Research on Aggression
• The College on the Problems of Drug Dependence
• The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
• UTHSCH Office of Research