Depression

Bradley Ress Miller, M.D., Ph.D., of Columbia University, will use an imaging study to test the role of serotonin in emotional behavior, with implications for anxiety and depression. Serotonin levels have long been theorized to contribute to major depression, which often occurs with symptoms of anxiety. Imaging the brains of mice, this project will use imaging to track the activity of neurons that produce serotonin during emotional behavior. The team will also selectively limit the activity of these neurons. Dr. Miller expects to show that serotonin neurons are necessary for healthy emotional behavior and that stress triggers depression and anxiety by changing these neurons’ activity