Two MAPrc Researchers awarded NARSAD Young Investigator Awards

Congratulations to MAPrc researchers Dr Peter Enticott and Dr Steven Miller, who have each been awarded a 2012 NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the US-based Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation.

MAPrc Research Fellow Dr. Peter Enticott has been awarded a 2012 NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the US-based Brain and Behaviour Research Foundation. Dr. Enticott will be mentored by MAPrc Deputy Director Prof. Paul Fitzgerald.

 This award will fund research into autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which are highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders for which there is no medical treatment. Building on previous MAPrc research, Dr. Enticott and Prof. Fitzgerald will conduct a clinical trial that investigates whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can be used to improve social relating in ASD. It is hoped that this research will contribute toward the development of a first biomedical treatment for ASD, and improve quality of life for affected individuals and their families.

 For more information, please contact peter.enticott@monash.edu

 Dr. Steven Miller will examine genetic and clinical aspects of a visual test called binocular rivalry rate (BRR) that he pioneered and which appears to satisfy several criteria for being a risk-indicator biomarker for BP. Being able to identify individuals with BP, or individuals at genetic risk for developing BP, would be of great benefit to both clinical and biological psychiatry.