Obesity & Metabolic Disease - Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology

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Both cardiometabolic disease and psychiatric disorders are rising public health problems and are primary reasons for disability. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that cardiometabolic diseases, including obesity, hypertension, pre-diabetes, and diabetes, are associated with disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and sleep and circadian dysfunction. In addition, many psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and major depression convey an excess burden of cardiometabolic morbidity and mortality. The medications used to treat these disorders may further adversely affect cardiometabolic disease and exacerbate health disparities for vulnerable populations.

Cardiometabolic diseases and psychiatric disorders have high mortality and morbidity. Stress and chronic inflammation are believed to be contributing to possible common pathophysiological mechanisms between cardiometabolic disease and psychiatric disorders. However, it is unclear how to best screen individuals with high risk for these disorders as well as how to prevent and treat people at the early stage for a better outcome. Important research directions include the understanding of the common origins among obesity, metabolic diseases, hypertension, mental illness and sleep disorders, and prevention and treatment strategies targeting these comorbidities to improve the outcomes of these diseases.

A group of researchers in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, including Drs. Karen Gamble, Aaron Fobian, Justin Thomas, and Li Li lead projects investigating the pathophysiology and neurobiology of cardiometabolic risks/diseases, and related psychiatric disorders, their prevention and treatment.