Dietrich School Distinguished Professor Recognized by Society of Biological Psychiatry

Anthony Grace, Distinguished Professor in the Dietrich School's Department of Neuroscience, is the recipient of the 2016 Gold Medal Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry. This award, given at the Society’s annual meeting, is awarded “for an internationally distinguished career of outstanding research and advancing knowledge in the field of psychiatric neuroscience."

A professor of neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology, Professor Grace's research interests lie at the interface of neurobiology and psychiatry. One aspect of this research involves the study of the basic physiological properties of neurochemically identified neurons. Using in vivo and in vitro intracellular recording techniques, neurons are injected with highly fluorescent dyes to outline their morphology, and specific blockers are used to study the ionic mechanisms involved in generating action potentials and regulating the activity states of these cells. By first characterizing the biophysical properties of identified neurons, the processes contributing to their responses to pharmacological agents, such as those that play a role in the exacerbation or therapeutic treatment of psychiatric disorders, may be interpreted at a more mechanistic level.

Another aspect of his research involves the use of animal models of psychiatric disorders. Ongoing studies into the neurobiology of schizophrenia involve study of the interaction of the prefrontal cortex and antipsychotic drugs with subcortical dopamine systems. Additional studies are aimed at identifying the role of dopamine neurons in the recovery of behavioral function after partial dopamine-depleting brain lesions, which model the pathology seen in Parkinson's disease in humans.