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Stress, Mood and Cognition Lab focuses on the role of acute and chronic stress on development and progression of psychiatric disorders and psychiatric dimensions. Each research topic is investigated in a translational manner, where human clinical studies along with animal model experiments are used investigate the effect of stress at systemic, cellular and molecular level. Besides benchside and bedside work, we also perform meta-analysis of prevalence and neuroimaging data, we conduct systematic reviews and we use neuroimaging techniques like Voxel based morphometry and fMRI for our studies in addition to in vitro techniques.

The logic behind our research stands on the knowledge that psychiatric diagnosis and symptoms are presented in the brain, psychiatric disorders may have a common neurobiological basis and that stress is a major factor that induces and changes the brain for further psychiatric symptoms. The patients that apply to a psychiatry clinic are diagnosed according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders (DSM), which groups psychiatric disorders according to symptom similarity, statistical and clinical patterns, author experiences and author agreements, instead of neurobiology. However, the natural presentation of the symptoms and clinical course of the disorders are not always as it is in the theoretical book of DSM and patients show a great level of psychiatric comorbidity. Also, although psychiatric diagnostic groups have some certain distinctions from each other, twin and family studies show that most of the psychiatric disorders are related. On top of all these, psychiatric disorders may not show a diagnostic stability over time and a patient’s diagnosis may change during the temporal follow up. In addition, psychiatric patients may show a great level of medical comorbidities more than expected by chance and these medical comorbidities may both change the prognosis and the treatment of the disorder. Comorbidities are common because psychiatric symptoms are presented by the brain and as a very complex and highly specialized organ, the brain controls all aspects of emotion, cognition, and physical wellbeing, the function of which results in psychiatric disorders.

Therefore, understanding the neurobiology of brain networks and molecular signaling pathways in specific brain areas and their relationship with other peripheral tissues might help to understand a group of psychiatric symptoms and medical conditions and also pave the way for new treatment options. Secondly, stress is a major factor that may trigger both psychiatric disorders and medical conditions, and stress models may be used to understand the networks and molecular changes in the brain.

Currently, we have been working on both human subjects and on animal models to produce translational results which can be used as future targets for psychiatric disorders.

For more information about our research, please contact Hale Yapıcı Eser from link down below.

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