Current Research
ADHD & Attention Disorders Program
This program aims to learn about the different types of ADHD; combine existing ADHD assessment with newer measures to further understand and predict ADHD development; learn if heart-rate plays a part in the assessment of ADHD; and follow 7–13 year old children for two years to see how the assessments measure up over time. This will help us design better assessment and treatment for children with learning and attentional problems.Developmental Brain Imaging Lab
The Developmental Brain Imaging Lab has been studying brain development in healthy and at-risk youth for several years. Studying this crucial time in development is necessary to enhance our understanding of changes in the developing brain and ways to prevent and treat such things as substance abuse and mood disorders that emerge during adolescence.
Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center (MARC)
The Methamphetamine Abuse Research Center at OHSU and the Portland VA Medical Center is a new NIDA center approaching drug research at all these levels, in a truly translational context. This means we study meth addiction "from bench to bedside" -- all the way from the genetics or pharmacology lab to the patient who comes in for treatment.
Psychoneuroimmunology Research Lab
Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of interactions between the immune and central nervous systems, and particularly how these interactions contribute to psychiatric function and health. The Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) Research Lab, led by Drs. Huckans and Loftis, is a "real time", translational research program that integrates human, animal, and in vitro experiments to examine how neuroimmune factors contribute to the neuropsychiatric effects of medical, psychiatric, and substance use disorders.
Stress, Cognition, Affect and Neuroimaging (SCAN) Lab
We are a brain imaging lab that employs functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to understand the development of brain processes associated with executive functioning and emotional processing in typical individuals and individuals with a history of stressful life events, including abuse and maltreatment. Understanding the impact of stress and abuse on typically developing processes is important to understand heightened risk for clinical problems, such as depression and PTSD, as well as inform treatment development.
Sleep and Mood Disorders Lab
Since its inception in 1982, the Sleep and Mood Disorders Laboratory has focused on studies of circadian rhythms ("body clocks") and how they are affected by melatonin and light. The Laboratory continues to refine the understanding of how circadian rhythms govern the sleep-wake cycle and how melatonin can be used as a treatment for misalignments between circadian rhythms and sleep.
Fair Neuroimaging Lab
Advanced brain imaging techniques such as resting-state functional connectivity MRI and diffusion tensor imaging are utilized to identify unique and shared patterns in these groups.