How Genes Work in the Brain Lecture

Findings from two studies, one on William's Syndrome, one on Schizophrenia, are presented here in an effort to illustrate how important it is to understand brain function and dysfunction from the most basic level to complex behaviors

Dr. Berman received her B.S. degree from the University of Rochester and her M.D. from St. Louis University Medical School. She completed her medical internship at Washington University in St. Louis and had residency training in psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego. Dr. Berman also completed residency training in nuclear medicine at the NIH Warren G. Magnusen Clinical Center and is board certified in both psychiatry and nuclear medicine. She has received the A.E. Bennett Award for Neuropsychiatric Research of the Society of Biological Psychiatry. Dr. Berman's group uses a variety of neuroimaging techniques to investigate the neurobiology of neuropsychiatric disorders (such as schizophrenia) and genetic diseases (such as Williams Syndrome) that affect cognition.

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We use functional neuroimaging Functional and structural MRI, PET, and others) to map brain activity and neurochemical mechanisms associated with normal higher cognitive function as well as dysfunction in neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia, illnesses having genetic sources of cognitive dysfunction such as Williams syndrome, and other conditions impacting cognition such as normal aging. We also study the effects of gonadal steroid hormones on brain function.