Category: Research

Return to news >

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has awarded a $3.4 million grant to the Lindner Center of Hope’s Dr. Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD. Dr. Romo-Nava is Associate Chief Research Officer at the Lindner Center of Hope and Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience. This phased innovation R61/33 grant is titled “Modulating spinal interoceptive pathways to evaluate their role and therapeutic potential in MDD symptomatic domains” and will study a novel non-invasive form of spinal cord neuromodulation to study and treat major depressive disorder (MDD).

The multidisciplinary study team is led by principal Investigator and physician-scientist Dr. Romo-Nava and Co-Investigators Dr. Susan L. McElroy, MD, Chief Research Officer at the Lindner Center of Hope, Drs. Jeffrey Welge, PhD, and Dave Fleck, PhD at UC’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Dr. Oluwole Awosika, MD at UC’s Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, and Dr. Ishita Basu, PhD at UC’s Department of Neurosurgery. Dr. Martin Paulus from the Laureate Institute for Brain Research and Dr. Jeff Liu Chang-chia, PhD, from the University of Virginia, will be consultants on the study. Key team members at the Lindner Center of HOPE Research Institute are the lead research coordinator Georgi Georgiev, Research Nurse Nicole Mori, Biostatistician Thomas J. Blom, Dr. Anna I. Guerdjikova, Jakyb Stoddard, Aspen Madrid, and Genie Groff.

This study builds on a successful pilot clinical trial conducted by the research team at the Lindner Center of Hope and funded by a NARSAD Brain and Behavior Research Foundation Young Investigator Award (Dr. Romo-Nava), which also served as the basis for a USPTO patent (#10,857,356) issued for transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The intervention involved brief sessions where a mild and generally well-tolerated current is applied through the skin using an electrode placed at the level of the mid-back and another electrode placed over the shoulder. The pilot study showed therapeutic potential for this novel approach and was recently published at one of the top scientific journals in the field of psychiatry (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-023-02349-9).

This new R61/33 grant involves a project with two phases. During the first phase (R61 phase), the project will evaluate whether a non-invasive form of spinal cord stimulation at different doses can reach and modulate specific spinal interoceptive pathways among adults with MDD. These are neuronal pathways in the spinal cord that convey information about bodily states to the brain and are thought to be relevant for emotional experience and the concept of mood. This first phase will last two years and is expected to identify neurophysiological markers of target engagement that will inform on the optimal dose to modulate these spinal interoceptive pathways. Recruitment for the first phase is expected to start 12/2024.

If successful, the team will then conduct the second phase (R33 phase). This phase involves an 8-week double-blinded, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this form of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation among participants with MDD. During this clinical trial the team will also aim to replicate the target engagement markers identified in the first phase and evaluate their relevance for treatment response. The second phase is expected to have a duration of three years.

When completed, the project is expected to generate important new knowledge on the role of brain-body interaction pathways in MDD and the potential of spinal interoceptive pathways as novel therapeutic targets. The results of this project will inform on the potential efficacy and safety of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation as a new tool to study and treat MDD and will guide future studies.

Return to news >

Mason, OH, August 30, 2024 – Lindner Center of HOPE, Chief Research Officer, Susan L. McElroy, MD, was recently named to the Research.com “Best Female Scientists in the United States 2024 Ranking” for her contributions to the advancement of science. Dr. McElroy is ranked #105 in the United States among Best Scientists for 2024.

Dr. McElroy’s profile can be found at Susan L. McElroy: Medicine H-index & Awards – Academic Profile | Research.com.

This was the third edition of the Research.com ranking of top female scientists in the United States and was based upon data collected from a wide range of bibliometric sources. Position in the ranking is based on a scholar’s general H-index.​

Research.com’s ranking of best female scientists in the world comprises of leading female scientists from all key scientific disciplines. It was based on a meticulous evaluation of 166,880 researchers.​

The H-index threshold for approving a researcher to be considered for a global ranking was chosen independently for each scientific discipline, but was in most cases equal to 30 or 40. The acceptance standards for scientists to be considered into the global ranking of top female scientists are based on the H-index, rate of the publications made within a given discipline plus also on the awards and accomplishments of the scientists. Only top 1000 scholars with the highest H-index are included in the ranking.

Dr. McElroy is internationally known for her research in bipolar disorder, eating disorders, obesity, impulse control disorders and pharmacology. She is the author of over 600 scientific papers in leading medical journals and was the 8th most cited scientist in the world published in the fields of psychiatry and psychology since 1996. She has also authored over 150 reviews and chapters in major psychiatric textbooks. Dr. McElroy is the editor or author of 4 scientific books and serves on the editorial boards of 5 journals.

As Chief Research Officer she currently oversees multiple ongoing studies in mood, anxiety, eating and impulse control disorders, genetics and psychopharmacology.

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) estimates that less than 30 percent of the world’s researchers are women.

Return to news >

Susan McElroy, MD, shares insights on hunger reducing drugs

 Read the article:  Eating disorders rise amid popular weight loss medications Wegovy and Zepbound—Is there a link? (nbcnews.com)

Return to news >

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                             CONTACT: 

Jennifer Pierson
Sr. Director of Marketing and Outreach
Lindner Center of HOPE
(513) 536-0316
 [email protected]                                                                                                         

 

Lindner Center of HOPE Receives $1.25 Million Pledge from The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners

The Lindner Center of HOPE is pleased to announce a recent pledge of $1.25 million from The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners. This significant contribution will play a crucial role in advancing mental health research and providing vital support to patients in need.

As requested by The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners, $1 million of the pledge will be dedicated to the Center’s Research Institute, with the remaining $250,000 allocated to the Center’s patient financial assistance “Helping Hands” fund. The Helping Hands Fund was established by the High Hopes Auxiliary when Lindner Center of HOPE opened in 2008 and exists to provide financial assistance to patients in need.

In recognition of this extraordinary gift, The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners requested The Research Institute at Lindner Center of HOPE be named in honor of Susan L. McElroy, MD. Upon learning of this remarkable gesture, Dr. McElroy expressed her deep gratitude, stating, “I am overwhelmed and humbled by this gift. This support will greatly enhance our efforts in mental health research, improving the management, treatment, and prevention of mental illnesses, and alleviating the suffering of countless individuals.”

The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners’ support not only aids our mission but also encourages other organizations and individuals to contribute to our cause. Their commitment to mental health is an inspiration to all who seek to make a difference in the lives of those affected by mental health disorders.

“We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners,” said Dr. Paul R. Crosby, President and CEO of the Lindner Center of HOPE. “Their support will have a lasting impact on our community, and we are honored to be among the organizations they support.”

Connor Group managing partner Larry Connor said the pledge is a strategic investment that will help combat America’s mental health crisis.

“We’ve vetted programs across the country,” he said. “And we believe the work being done at the Lindner Center of HOPE, today and in the future, can be generationally transformational.”

About Lindner Center of HOPE:

Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason is a comprehensive mental health center providing patient-centered, scientifically advanced care for individuals suffering with mental illness. A state-of-the-science, mental health center and charter member of the National Network of Depression Centers, the Center provides psychiatric hospitalization, residential services, and substance use disorders treatment for adults, outpatient services for all ages, and partial hospitalization for individuals age 12-years-old and older, , and research. The Center is enhanced by its partnerships with UC Health and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as their clinicians are ranked among the best providers locally, nationally and internationally. Patients and families who may benefit from Lindner Center services may call (513) 536-HOPE (4673) for an initial assessment. Learn more at LindnerCenterofHope.org.

 

#  #  #

 

About The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners:

The Connor Group Kids & Community Partners is the non-profit arm of real estate investment firm The Connor Group. It operates as a non-profit activist investor in programs that help pull kids out of generational poverty. It also has started three independent programs of its own, including The Greater Dayton School – Ohio’s first private non-religious school exclusively for under-resourced students.

For more information, please visit www.lindnercenterofhope.org or www.kidsandcommunitypartners.org.

 

 

Return to news >

LCOH-UC study: Spinal cord stimulation a potential new way to treat depression

Lindner Center of HOPE, UC researcher publishes pilot study showing feasibility of method

A pilot clinical trial led by Lindner Center of HOPE Research Institute and University of Cincinnati researchers at the Lindner Center of HOPE found electrical stimulation of the spinal cord is feasible, well-tolerated, and shows therapeutic potential to treat depression.

The results of the trial were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry on Dec. 20. View link at https://rdcu.be/dt41x

Research background

Principal investigator Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD, said his research focuses on how brain-body communication is involved in psychiatric disorders.

“We think that the connection between the brain and the body is essential for psychiatric disorders,” said Romo-Nava, Associate Chief Research Officer for the Research Institute at the Lindner Center of HOPE, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at UC, and a UC Health physician scientist. “Many of the symptoms of mood disorders or eating disorders or anxiety disorders have to do with what one could interpret as dysregulation in this brain-body interaction.”

Romo-Nava said pathways of neurons located in the spinal cord convey information from the body to regions of the brain that are involved in the emotional experience we know as mood. When functioning properly, the brain uses this information to constantly make adjustments to help regulate a person’s mood.

While major depressive disorder can have many different causes, one contributor could be this pathway being overloaded with information.

“For example, chronic stress could lead to a hyperactive brain-body circuit that eventually burns the system out and prevents it from adjusting itself in an effective and optimal way,” Romo-Nava said.

The research team looked at different ways to modulate this interaction between the brain and body and developed a novel approach through non-invasive spinal cord stimulation. Romo-Nava received a patent for the device obtained a patent in 2020 for the stimulation method used after working with UC’s Office of Innovation.

The spinal cord stimulation is designed to decrease the flow of information in the brain-body circuit so that the brain is better able to readjust and regulate itself.

“Spinal cord stimulation is thought to help the brain modulate itself as it should by decreasing the noise or decreasing the hyperactive signaling that may be in place during a depressive syndrome,” Romo-Nava said.

The investigational device that was used is no larger than a shoe box, with the active electrode placed on the patient’s back and the return electrode placed on their right shoulder.

Trial details

With funding through a Brain & Behavior Research Foundation NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Romo-Nava designed the pilot study to test the feasibility and tolerability of spinal cord stimulation for patients with major depressive disorder.

A total of 20 patients were enrolled in the trial, with half randomized to receive the active version of the spinal cord stimulation and half receiving a different version of current that was not expected to have much of an effect.

Patients went to the Lindner Center of HOPE for three 20-minute sessions a week for eight weeks, for a total of 24 spinal stimulation sessions.

Trial results

Romo-Nava said like with most pilot studies, the primary focus of the study was the feasibility and safety of the intervention and how well patients tolerated the stimulation. The study was designed so that the dose of stimulation could be decreased if needed, but Romo-Nava said all patients tolerated the initially prescribed dose well.

“We used a current that is so small that it’s about 10 times smaller than the one known to induce tissue damage, so that’s also pretty encouraging because there’s a lot to explore in terms of what is the optimal dose and session frequency,” he said.

Side effects of the treatment were mild, including skin redness at the site of stimulation and brief non-painful itching or burning sensations that only lasted during the treatment sessions. The skin redness typically did not last more than 20 minutes after a session, Romo-Nava said.

A virtual reconstruction of how the current from the device moves through the body showed the current reaches spinal gray matter in the spinal cord, but does not reach the brain itself.

“That supports our hypothesis that it is the modulation of these pathways of information that then may induce an effect on the mood-relevant areas in the brain,” he said. “So it is not the current that reaches the brain, it is the change in the signal that then has an effect. This study is not sufficient to prove all of these components of the hypothesis, but we think it’s a great start.”

Patients that received the active stimulation had a greater decrease in the severity of their depressive symptoms compared to the control group, but Romo-Nava cautioned the study was limited by its small sample size. These results will need to be replicated in much larger studies to be confirmed.

“We need to be cautious when we interpret these results because of the pilot nature and the small sample size of the study,” he said. “While the primary outcome was positive and it shows therapeutic potential, we should acknowledge all the limitations of the study.”

Data showed participants’ resting blood pressure did not change over the course of the eight weeks, but their diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number of a blood pressure reading) decreased for a short time after each session in a cumulative way during the study.

“That may mean that we may be actually inducing a form of plastic effect on the brain-body interaction circuit that is also involved in autonomic functions like blood pressure and heart rate,” Romo-Nava said. “This is very preliminary, but it is also another signal that is in the right direction.”

Moving forward, Romo-Nava said the research team is seeking additional funding to put together an expanded trial and develop a portable version of the spinal cord stimulation device. If further studies confirm the stimulation is safe and effective to treat psychiatric disorders, future work will also be needed to find the optimal dose, frequency and conditions it can be used for.

 

Lindner Center of HOPE  provides excellent, patient-centered, scientifically advanced care for individuals suffering with mental illness. A state-of-the-science mental-health center and charter member of the National Network of Depression Centers, the center provides psychiatric hospitalization and partial hospitalization for adults, outpatient services for all ages, diagnostic and short-term residential services for adults, intensive outpatient program for substance abuse and co-occurring disorders for adults and research. The center is enhanced by its partnership with UC Health as its clinicians are ranked among the best providers locally, nationally and internationally. Together Lindner Center of HOPE and UC Health offer a true system of mental health care in the Greater Cincinnati area and across the country. The center is also affiliated with the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.

 

##

Return to news >

Sue McElroy

Mason, OH, February 22, 2023 – Lindner Center of HOPE, Chief Research Officer, Susan L. McElroy, MD, was recently named to the Research.com “Best Female Scientists in the United States 2022 Ranking” for her contributions to the advancement of science.

This was the first edition of the Research.com ranking of top female scientists in the United States and was based upon data collected from Microsoft Academic Graph. Position in the ranking is based on a scientist’s general H-index. The inclusion criteria for scholars to be considered into the global ranking of top scientists are based on the H-index, proportion of the contributions made within the given discipline in addition to the awards and achievements of the scientists. Only top 1000 female scientists with the highest H-index are featured in the ranking. Nearly 167,000 scientists were examined for the ranking.

Dr. McElroy is internationally known for her research in bipolar disorder, eating disorders, obesity, impulse control disorders and pharmacology. She is the author of over 600 scientific papers in leading medical journals and was the 8th most cited scientist in the world published in the fields of psychiatry and psychology since 1996. She has also authored over 150 reviews and chapters in major psychiatric textbooks. Dr. McElroy is the editor or author of 4 scientific books and serves on the editorial boards of 5 journals.

As Chief Research Officer she currently oversees multiple ongoing studies in mood, anxiety, eating and impulse control disorders, genetics and psychopharmacology.

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) estimates that less than 30 percent of the world’s researchers are women.

###

Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason is a comprehensive mental health center providing excellent, patient-centered, scientifically-advanced care for individuals suffering with mental illness. A state-of-the-science, mental health center and charter member of the National Network of Depression Centers, the Center provides psychiatric hospitalization and partial hospitalization for individuals age 12-years-old and older, outpatient services for all ages, diagnostic and short-term residential services for adults and adolescents, outpatient services and research. The Center is enhanced by its partnership with UC Health as its clinicians are ranked among the best providers locally, nationally and internationally. Together Lindner Center of HOPE and UC Health offer a true system of mental health care in the Greater Cincinnati area and across the country. The Center is also affiliated with the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.

 

Return to news >

Lindner Center of HOPE Chief Research Officer member of team that identifies 64 regions of the genome that increase risk for bipolar disorder

Mason, OH, April 22, 2021 – Chief Research Officer of The Research Institute at Lindner Center of HOPE, Susan McElroy, MD, was part of a research team in the largest genetic study of bipolar disorder to date.  In his genetic study researchers have identified 64 regions of the genome containing DNA variations that increase risk of bipolar disorder—more than double the number previously identified.

The research team also found overlap in the genetic bases of bipolar disorder and other psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, the study supports a role of sleep habits, alcohol, and substance usage in the development of bipolar disorder, although further research is needed to confirm these findings. The study results were published May 17 in Nature Genetics (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-021-00857-4). Read the full press release at https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-05-regions-genome-bipolar-disorder.html .

 

Return to news >

A UC, Lindner Center of HOPE study investigates the role of the circadian clock in obesity and eating behavior

The clocks on our walls, on the lock screens of our phones and attached to our wrists drive most actions in our lives. Time determines when we have to go to bed or wake up in the morning, when we need to be in class or at work and even when we feel the need to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner.

We also have inner, cellular clocks in most tissues of our body that are coordinated by a master circadian clock in the brain. These clocks form our circadian system that triggers some of these needs and responses, like getting tired and feeling hunger.

Now, researchers at the University of Cincinnati and the Lindner Center of HOPE are hosting a unique clinical trial to see if readjusting the circadian system of people with binge eating behavior can help in understanding more about why this occurs and develop new treatment options in the future. Scientists are using tabletop lamps and melatonin supplements to test their theory.

Binge eating behavior is a form of disordered eating characterized by excessive food consumption with a loss of control, causing a person to overeat in a relatively short period of time.

The associated Binge Eating Disorder, or BED, is characterized by recurrent episodes, without the compensatory behaviors observed in bulimia nervosa, meaning purging afterward. BED is the most prevalent eating disorder worldwide and affects an estimated 2.8 million people in the United States. It is frequently observed in individuals with obesity and those with other psychiatric diagnoses, like mood and anxiety disorders. Many are unaware that they have BED, and it remains undiagnosed. Additionally, treatment options are very limited.

Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at UC, associate chief research officer for the Research Institute at the Lindner Center of HOPE and a UC Health physician scientist, says little is known about how the circadian system in these patients impacts their eating patterns.

Francisco Romo-Nava Psychiatry

“The circadian system makes it possible for our body to adapt to day and night periods, which has profound effects on physiology and behavior beyond regulation of sleep and wake cycles,” he says. “The most powerful signals that synchronize our circadian system are the presence of daylight and the production of melatonin at night, which is the chemical signal of darkness.

“The circadian system is different for each person. For example, some people work better during the day while others do so at night. Some people skip breakfast, while others eat a large meal to start the day. Recent studies suggest that the circadian system may be involved in regulating our food choices, the time at which we eat and how much we eat. However, the involvement of the circadian system in disordered eating behavior, such as binge eating behavior, is not well understood.”

Romo-Nava says preliminary research has shown that those with binge eating disorder may have circadian system abnormalities, and that by targeting this system in the body, new interventions and treatments may be available for patients.

In this study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and housed at UC’s Lindner Center of HOPE, researchers will compare the circadian system function in 80 adults with obesity, 40 with binge eating disorder and 40 without, for two weeks. Participants will complete a sleep and eating behavior diary and wear a device — a watch — that measures activity patterns.

Their circadian phases will be assessed by determining surges in melatonin concentrations at the specific point in time when their brains and bodies shift into “night mode.”

Romo-Nava says, traditionally, studies such as this involved costly and inconvenient in-hospital or sleep lab assessments of melatonin concentrations in saliva samples under dim lights, mimicking dusk, to detect the time of the surge in melatonin production at night.

However, in this study, researchers are using a new approach, where participants can collect the saliva samples easily at home in a dimly lit room.   

Finally, researchers will test whether or not they can resynchronize study participants’ circadian system over the course of a month by combining morning light, mimicked by tabletop lamps, and the administration of a fixed dose of melatonin or placebo at night. The melatonin is given at times that are individualized according to each participants’ circadian phase. This phase of the study will only be conducted on individuals who have been diagnosed with binge eating disorder.

“We want to evaluate if this method can be an individualized way to study the circadian system in this condition,” Romo-Nava says. “But ultimately, we want to advance our understanding of the role of the circadian system in binge eating disorder, and this study will provide valuable insight on its potential as a new therapeutic target. We’re excited about how this could positively impact patients with binge eating disorder in the future.”

More about the study

Participants without binge eating will be paid up to $215 for completing four study visits that involve assessments and laboratory studies. Participants with BED will be paid up to $440 for completing study procedures, which also include an intervention study phase and a total of eight study visits. Payments will be made at the end of each study visit with a prepaid debit card. For more information, contact Brian or George at (513) 536-0707 or fill out a prescreening questionnaire.

Return to news >

Francisco Romo-Nava, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Chief Research Officer, Research Institute at Lindner Center of HOPE, has been distinguished as a 2021 International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) Best Poster Awardee, for his poster Revisiting the Bipolar Disorder with Migraine phenotype: Clinical Features and Comorbidity. His poster is the effort of the team at The Research Institute. The program committee reviewed almost 200 posters, and Dr. Romo-Nava’s was rated among the highest. The best poster awardees will be recognized with a ribbon on the poster image in the poster gallery, listed in the General Conference Information and will also be acknowledged in the email that will be sent out to all registered attendees to launch the poster session each day.

This is the ISBD’s 23rd annual conference. It is a global conference taking place via interactive platform May 13-15, 2021.

Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason is a comprehensive mental health center providing excellent, patient-centered, scientifically-advanced care for individuals suffering with mental illness. A state-of-the-science, mental health center and charter member of the National Network of Depression Centers, the Center provides psychiatric hospitalization and partial hospitalization for individuals age 12-years-old and older, outpatient services for all ages, diagnostic services for all ages and short-term residential services for adults, and research. The Center is enhanced by its partnership with UC Health as its clinicians are ranked among the best providers locally, nationally and internationally. Together Lindner Center of HOPE and UC Health offer a true system of mental health care in the Greater Cincinnati area and across the country. The Center is also affiliated with the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine.

Return to news >

As a community member, you are invited to complete a community-wide health survey for the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The 2021 CHNA is sponsored by The Health Collaborative (THC) and Generation Health (Gen-H), who are working in partnership with the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association, as well as multiple health partners throughout the 39-hospital, 25-county Greater Cincinnati region, which includes southwest Ohio (including the Greater Dayton Area), southeast Indiana and northern Kentucky.

This online survey will ask basic questions about your health, what makes being healthy easy or hard, and how our community is supporting your health. The information we collect will inform how we will direct our energy and resources to meet the complex healthcare needs of the community and will inspire innovative healthcare delivery models designed to unite our region-wide efforts in providing high-quality care, increasing access to care, and achieving improved health outcomes for all.

The online survey will be open from April 1 to May 30, 2021, and is available in American Sign Language (ASL), Arabic, English, French, Nepali, and Spanish. All respondents will remain anonymous. At the end of this survey, you will be able to enter a drawing for one of two $100 Amazon gift cards.

If you live in the Greater Cincinnati or Dayton Area, please complete our online health survey. Here is the link to the survey: https://genh.healthcollab.org/

Paper surveys can be made available upon request. Please contact Elizabeth Pafford by sending an email to [email protected] to request paper copies of the survey, or for help with any technical issues you experience with the online survey.

For more general questions about the 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), please contact Lauren Bartoszek by sending an email to [email protected], or calling 513-247-6860.