During the past 20 years Beijing Huilongguan Hospital has maintained the policy of “advancing the hospital by science and education” through a steady development of clinical and theoretical research, education and training. In the guiding principle of “every department and each individual has their own specialty,” year by year the hospital has actively advanced scientific research, established and improved the scientific research system, strengthened and enlarged the team of researchers, created a favorable research environment and raised the level of scientific research.
At the present more than 50 research projects have been performed in our hospital by more than 200 research staff. Our current initiatives have attracted more than 20 grants including the following: an NIH grant, a Stanley grant, a National Nature Science grant, a Beijing Nature and Science grant, a National Key Technology Research and Development Program grant, a National Basic Research Program (973 program) grant, an International Cooperation grant, a Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission grant, a Capital Medical Development grant, a Beijing Key Discipline grant，a Beijing Municipal Health Bureau grant, and so forth.
To date the hospital has been involved in studies of the pathological mechanism of neurophysiology, neuropsychology, immunity and biochemistry in schizophrenia, depression and other mental disorders. It has also explored new treatments such as non-medication therapy on mental diseases and revised the Chinese version of WAIS-Ⅳand WMS-Ⅳ. All together, more than 50 scientific-technology awards have been granted by the National Ministry of Public Health and the Beijing Scientific and Technological Committee. Every year more than 50 papers are published in Chinese and major international medical journals.
In order to improve the scientific research level of our hospital the Psychiatric Research Center was established in early 2008. It includes the following laboratories: Biological Psychiatry (including Molecular Genetics, Psychopharmacology, Neuroimmunology and Neurobiochemistry), Neurophysiology，Neuropsychology Treatment, Psychological Measurement and Network Psychiatry.
Many modernized large-scale research facilities have been purchased for the center, including HPLC, a UV spectrophotometer, a multifunctional enzyme-labeling measuring instrument, centrifuges, a PCR instrument, a gradient PCR instrument, a chemoluminescence gel imaging system, a constant temperature incubator, a high-pressure sterilizer, a stoving chest, a water purification system, a ABI7900-Real Time PCR instrument, a DNA sequencing machine and so forth. In the past two years, the above equipment has been in stable operation and good function. To date some research platforms have been established for biochemistry, molecular biology, psychopharmacology and other related research.
The Psychiatric Research Center is also equipped with an eye-movement detection device, a polysomnogram, and an event-related potentials instrument. The eye-movement detection device can be used for early screening and diagnosis of schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease by an eye movement examination and pupil dilation test.
The Psychiatric Research Center also has a Magstim Rapid2 rTMS instrument, a computerized cognitive remediation therapy system and so forth and will procure additional instruments as such as a high-precision eye movement tracing system within a few years. It also has the most advanced psychological computerized testing software, network system, psychological testing room and software development team in China, a HP DL580 server and various kinds of computer equipment.
The above mentioned equipment supports a favorable environment for further exploration by scientific researchers in their professional area.