Tag: National Institutes of Health

Dr. Cabrera will help guide ethical development and use of electrical-based psychiatric treatments

Laura Cabrera photoA team led by Center Assistant Professor Dr. Laura Y. Cabrera will examine the ethical concerns, beliefs, and attitudes of psychiatrists, patients, and healthy members of the public, including caregivers, regarding the development and use of psychiatric electroceutical interventions (PEIs).

The U.S. National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative has awarded a four-year, $1,414,478 grant to the Michigan State University team, which also includes Professor Aaron M. McCright (Sociology), Associate Professor Robyn Bluhm (Philosophy and Lyman Briggs College) and Associate Professor Eric Achtyes (Director of the College of Human Medicine Division of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine).

Using electrical stimuli to treat psychiatric conditions, PEIs offer great promise in addressing the profound suffering related to such disorders. While PEIs have been available in various forms for years, divergent perceptions among medical professionals, patients, and the broader public have impeded their wider adoption in practice. Key stakeholders’ concerns, beliefs, and attitudes also might affect the future adoption of novel, more invasive PEIs. As new PEIs emerge in the neurotechnology landscape, it is urgent to understand such concerns and related social policy choices.

“This grant could not come at a better time, and we are grateful to the National Institutes of Health for recognizing the importance of this issue and supporting our proposal,” said Dr. Achtyes, who has seen firsthand the benefits of such treatments.

Cabrera-McCright-Achtyes-Bluhm
Pictured left to right: Laura Cabrera, Aaron McCright, Eric Achtyes, Robyn Bluhm.

Dr. Cabrera, whose research focuses on neuroethics and is leading the effort as the Principal Investigator, said, “I am delighted for this exciting opportunity to lead our team of experts and work together towards the sustained ethical development and translation of this type of psychiatric treatment.”

The significance of this work lies in anticipating potential future policy challenges in ways that will both effectively safeguard sustained ethical PEI development and translation, and benefit individuals affected by mental health disorders.

“One strength of our project is that we have experts from philosophy, neuroethics, psychiatry, and sociology working closely together. So, the insights we generate will likely transcend typical disciplinary boundaries and hopefully will be more meaningful to key stakeholders,” said Dr. McCright.

Please visit the Center’s website for updates on this project.

Linking Community Engagement Research to Public Health Biobank Practice

Ann Mongoven, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences was awarded a 5-year R01 grant in December 2010 from the National Institutes of Health. Her project, “Linking Community Engagement Research to Public Health Biobank Practice,” is part of a larger research project led by Sharon Kardia at the University of Michigan. The Michigan State University study will help drive public policy decisions and develop an improved consent process for the state’s bio-bank, known as the Michigan BioTrust. Jeff Proulx, a Health and Risk Communication graduate student, worked as a research assistant on the grant until his graduation in spring of 2012. Andrea Sexton, another Health and Risk Communication graduate student, joined the grant at that time to continue the research support. Read more about this study.