The Biological Psychiatric Laboratory was founded in 2005. It currently has 10 research staff including three with doctoral degrees, three with master degrees and four with bachelor degrees. The following laboratories are included: Molecular Genetics, Neuropsychopharmacology, Neuroimmunology and Neurobiochemistry.
Molecular Genetics Laboratory
The lab uses large samples to explore the genes related to mental illnesses with high heritability. It also searches for biological phenotypes related to genetic predisposition of the illnesses.
Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory
This lab measures the plasma concentration of antipsychotic drugs, antidepressant drugs, and mood stabilizers; it establishes stable methods on plasma concentration measurement of new listed drugs; it detects the concentration of neurotransmitters in different kinds of tissue fluid; and it carries out scientific research on the pharmacogenomics and pharmacokinetics of psychotropic drugs.
Neuroimmunology Laboratory
This lab explores abnormal neuroimmunologic status on various kinds of mental illnesses. It also carries out scientific research on the effect of cytokines, neuro-protective factors and injury factors during the course of illness.
Neuroendocrine and Neurobiochemistry Laboratory
This lab detects changes of different biochemical indexes, especially the relationship between abnormal free radical metabolism, changes in hormone levels, and pathological mechanisms, efficacy of medication therapy and the occurrence of adverse reactions.
These laboratories have advanced equipments, 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, an ABI7900-Real Time PCR instrument, a DNA sequencing machine and so forth. During the past two years the equipment has been in stable operation with good function. To date some research platforms have been established for biochemistry, molecular biology, psychopharmacology and other related research.
The biological psychiatry laboratory currently has attracted more than nine grants including 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 and so forth.
Neurophysiologic Laboratory
The neurophysiologic laboratory was founded in 2005, currently has seven research staff, including one with a doctoral degree, two with master degrees, two with bachelor degrees and two research assistants. Scientific research programs have been performed on polysomnography (PSG) and event-related potentials (ERP). The laboratory has advanced equipment, including 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 disease by eye movement examination and pupil dilation test. The polysomnogram can be used to monitor different sleep stage characteristics of depressive disorders and Alzheimer disease. The event-related potentials instrument can be used to detect cognitive characteristics, with its main indexes as p50 and p300, also can be the auxiliary examination for schizophrenia, depression and other neuroses.
The Neurophysiologic Laboratory currently has a Beijing Excellent Talent Grant, a Capital Medical Beijing Municipal Health Bureau Grant, a Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission Grant, a Beijing Huilongguan Hospital grant and so forth. The researchers have published many papers in major Chinese journals, and have presented lectures at the National Psychiatry Congress in 2006 and 2007.
Psychological Measurement Laboratory
The psychological measurement laboratory was founded in 1989 and currently has six research staff, including one with a doctoral degree, two with master degrees, and three with bachelor degrees. It has the leading psychological computerized testing software, network system, psychological testing room and software development team in China.
To date the psychological measurement laboratory has developed various kinds of psychological tests and has introduced, revised and computerized international psychological tests for use in China. Since 1990 it has organized 20 national courses for Psychological Computerized Test (PCT) training. Many psychiatric hospitals in China now use PCT in clinical work, and its use has shown many social and economic benefits. Its evaluation system of attention has been used widely for ADHD and other attention deficit disorders. The lab currently is coordinating many international research projects, including the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), the most authoritative tools for the evaluation of cognition in schizophrenia, the palm-delivery evaluation system for psychiatry doctors, and the Chinese version of WAIS- -Ⅳand WMS-Ⅳ.
Neuropsychological Treatment Laboratory
The Neuropsychological treatment laboratory was founded in 2005. It currently has six research staff, including one with doctoral a degree, two with master degrees, and three with bachelor degrees.
This lab carries out scientific research on clinical and theoretical studies of non-medication therapies for mental illness, including Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) for improving the cognitive impairment of schizophrenic patients, repetitive Trans-cranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment for clinical symptoms and side effects in patients with schizophrenia and depression, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), biofeedback treatment, and studies on neuro-cognitve defects in mental illnesses. With cognitive psychology tests, cognitive evoked potentials (CEP), eye movement tracing, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging and other technical methods, the lab carries out scientific research on abnormal cognitive mechanisms in mental illness and provides auxiliary information in the etiology, clinical diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses.
The Neuropsychological Treatment Laboratory is equipped with a Magstim Rapid2 rTMS instrument, a computerized cognitive remediation therapy system and other equipment and will get additional instruments, such as the high-precision eye movement tracing system, within a few years.
Research has included the following: 1) research on the effectiveness and the mechanism of the Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) in treating cognitive defects of schizophrenia, 2) a randomized controlled study of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in treating auditory hallucinations and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, 3) clinical and theoretical research on the emotional and cognitive dysfunction of schizophrenia, and 4) neurophysiologic research on the sensory gating disorder of schizophrenia.
Network Psychiatry Laboratory
The Network Psychiatry laboratory currently has five research staff, including two with master degrees and three with bachelor degrees. It also has a HP DL580 server and various kinds of computer equipment and software.
Using network technology, the Network Psychiatry laboratory provides services for clinical work, education and training, scientific research and prevention of mental illness. It extends the range of psychiatry service, improves the level of clinical work, increases the number of people providing service, and improves the quality of the service.
The lab established a large-scale professional website for public mental health. The main purpose of this website is to provide mental health education and psychological counseling for the public, to provide continuing medical education and professional information for clinical practitioners, and to display the development of Chinese mental health to the world.
Also it carries out scientific research on use of computer and network technology to assist clinical treatment and disease surveillance in order to improve treatment compliance and quality of medical service, cut down the treatment costs, and reduce the burden of mental diseases.
To date the lab has been investigating Beijing doctors from general hospitals to ascertain their knowledge level regarding mental health issues and their needs for mental health education online. It is also carrying out research for the establishment and use of both the online psychiatry science library and the emergency intervention system. The lab has published four papers. It received the Capital Medical Beijing Municipal Health Bureau Grant in 2004 and 2005 and the China Association for Science and Technology fund in 2004, 2005 and 2006. It also won a second-class award in Beijing Website competition in 2003 and an outstanding contribution award for helping patients with schizophrenia return back to society in 2003.