Developmental Psychobiology

Research Group Fall Newsletter

Hello DPRG Community – Fall is here and another academic year begins! On behalf of the Executive Committee and the Advisory Board, I’d like to welcome you back to the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group Seminar Series. It is our hope that our twice-monthly DPRG Seminars will foster a sense of community and connection for researchers across all levels of career development. Our goal is to provide a forum that encourages and supports the multi-disciplinary collaborative research projects that contribute in meaningful ways to scientific knowledge. Tied closely to the fellowship program that supports the early career development of extremely talented and promising investigators, we want the DPRG seminars to promote active discussions that are relevant to all, regardless of a person’s area of interest. We are very fortunate to kick off this year’s program with an outstanding lead speaker – David Olds, Ph.D.; Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Prevention Research Center for Family and Child Health. To learn more about Dr. Olds and his incredibly active research group, please see: http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/medicalschool/departments/pediatrics/research/programs/prc/Pages/PreventionResearchCenter.aspx A working version of the seminar program for the rest of the year is provided below and is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks. We are excited to hear about the projects of the DPRG postdoctoral fellows and to host investigators from the Anschutz Medical Campus, the “downtown” UC Denver campus, the University of Denver, and Colorado State University. We have tried to bring in new faculty at these institutions whose research interests are compatible with the mission of DPRG. We hope to encourage collaborations across campuses, as well as disciplines. We recognize that everyone is very busy, juggling multiple responsibilities and roles. Research funding continues to be challenging to obtain and busy scientists may be tempted to use every waking minute to proof a paper, improve a grant application or check off some administrative tasks. And yet, as we all know, science is actually a social process and interaction with colleagues – both within and outside of our specific areas of interest – is essential for innovative project development and implementation.

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

Message from Director 1

Training Programs 3

DPRG Seminar Schedule 4

Affiliated Seminars 5

Upcoming Meetings of Interest 5

Announcements 6

Papers/Posters Presented 7

Papers/Books Published 7

Recent Conferences Attended 8

Funding 8

Awards Received 8

Newsletter Update Form 9

IN THIS ISSUE:

2014-2015 Small DPEF Grant

Application Schedule:

September 2

November 18

January 20

April 7

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR (cont'd)

In an effort to meet this objective, we’ve revised the guidance we provide to our potential speakers. Here’s a snippet of what we’ve asked our seminar leaders to consider:

We like to hear about projects in the planning stages, particularly if the speaker can identify a few key questions for discussion. Given that seminars are regularly attended by scientists from various disciplines, presenting at DPRG can be an opportunity to obtain helpful perspectives on projects in the development stage. As such, our members tend to enjoy focused “works-in-progress” presentations, with approximately half the time (i.e., 30-45 minutes) devoted to a presentation and half to discussion. We recognize that most speakers have more experience delivering finished/polished talks, so we’ve included a few examples of a “works-in-progress” seminar at the end of this document.

We value discussion and interaction. Our group is relatively small, with 24-40 participants attending most seminars, thus meaningful discourse is possible and encouraged.

We appreciate a brief introductory overview of your research topic, delivered in a way that can be understood by colleagues from other disciplines and thus generate rich cross-disciplinary dialogue.

We are interested in hearing about innovative research that is reflective of a variety of scientific perspectives (e.g., biological, behavioral, public health) and methods (e.g., observational, psychophysiological, informant-based).

Regardless of scientific discipline, we are interested in development. Most of our members study dynamic processes, complex systems and interactive models in animals, people or systems and many of our discussions reflect this developmental orientation.

Please also remember that participants who attend 50% or more of the seminars are eligible to apply for small grants (up to $7500) from the Developmental Psychobiology Endowment Fund (DPEF). These funds can be used to jump-start new endeavors or enhance existing projects. Please see our website for application dates and guidelines (http://medschool.ucdenver.edu/psychiatry/dprg) We welcome your feedback on this year’s program and look forward to lots of lively discussions and active interdisciplinary collaborations. Sincerely, Susan Hepburn, Ph.D. Executive Director DPRG

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Undergraduate Students

The NIMH-supported summer undergraduate research training program, Scholarly Trainees

Acquiring Research Skills (STARS), brings 7 students from rural community colleges across

Colorado to the medical school campus to participate in research programs each summer. If you

are interested in serving as a faculty mentor, please contact Randy Ross,

Randy.Ross@ucdenver.edu, 303-724-2203.

NIMH Postdoctoral Trainees

The training program welcomes Erin Hambrick, PhD, who will be mentored by Heather Taussig,

PhD. Continuing DPRG postdocs include Heather Caballes, PhD (Mentor: Tim Benke, MD, PhD, co-

mentor: Ken Maclean), Kristy Howell, PhD (Mentor: Amanda Law, PhD), Anita Quintana, PhD

(Mentor: Bruce Appel, co-mentor: Tamim Shaikh), Lisa Wilson, PhD (Mentor: Don Rojas, PhD), and

Korey Wylie, MD (Mentor: Jason Tregellas, PhD). You will be hearing from the fellows who have

not yet presented at upcoming DPRG seminars.

For more information about the program, please visit our website, www.dprgpostdoc.org.

Request to Advertise the NIMH Postdoctoral Research Training Program

Members of DPRG ‐ if you are giving a talk and want to inform the audience that we have training

programs available, there is a PowerPoint slide offered that you can include at the end of your

presentation. The slide is located on the ANNOUNCEMENTS tab of the DPRG website. If you have

further questions you can email Linda Greco‐Sanders.

TRAINING PROGRAMS

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DPRG SEMINAR SCHEDULE FALL 2014

September 9

DPRG KickOff Speaker:

David Olds, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Director Prevention Research

Center for Family and Child Health, Dept. of Pediatrics, UCD

Improving the life chances of vulnerable mothers and children with the

Nurse-Family Partnership

September 23

Kristy Howell, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, UCD

The neurobiological role of Akt3 in cognitive development and Schizophrenia

Tim Sannes, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, UCD

Intraindividual Variability: a Window into Hormonal and Circadian Rhythm Disruption

(DPRG Executive Committee meeting immediately following the presentation)

October 14

DPRG Annual Business Meeting

October 28

Deborah Fidler, PhD, Professor, Human Development & Family Studies, Colorado State University

Lisa Daunhauer, ScD, Associate Professor, Human Development & Family Studies, Colorado State

University

TBD

November 11

Erin Hambrick PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, UCD

Implementation of Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatments for Foster Children: Child and Organizational

Engagement

November 25

Seminar Cancelled Due To The Holiday Break

December 9

TBD

(DPRG Executive Committee meeting immediately following the presentation)

December 23

Seminar Cancelled Due To The Holiday Break

All seminars are on Tuesdays from 10:00-11:45 AM at The Children's Hospital, Gary Pavilion, in the Denver Room. Prior to each seminar there is a "coffee hour" from 9:30 - 10:00 AM.

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Location & Parking Information

The Children's Hospital Campus

Anschutz Medical Campus

We really encourage people to take the stairs down to the room. The stairs

come out much closer to the room and require the use of only one secured

door. Unfortunately, the secured doors are for patient safety and therefore we

can’t get around the door access issue. There will be someone manning the

door to allow access before the seminar begins.

Check-in Process

Arrive a few minutes early to ensure plenty of time to get a photo ID badge

upon entry. All visitors in The Children’s Hospital are required to wear photo

identification, for the safety of patients, families and staff.

You will need to show your UCD or TCH badge at the security counter

If you are coming from another location you will need to show your

driver license for verification

Upcoming Meetings Of Interest

The 2nd Annual Molecular Psychiatry Meeting scheduled for November

7th-9th, 2014 in San Francisco California. For more information, please visit:

http://www.molecularpsychiatry.net/meetings/2014-san-francisco/

American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 53rd Annual Meeting will

be held at the at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona on

December 7-11, 2014. For more information, please

visit: http://www.acnp.org/annualmeeting/

default.aspx

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AFFILIATED SEMINARS

Affect Seminar

September-May, 2nd & 4th

Tuesdays of the month

1:00-2:30pm, Ben

Nighthorse Campbell

Building, 2nd Floor North

East Conference Room

241. BNC: Bob Emde

Perinatal Vulnerability to

Psychosis Research

Group

4th Tuesday of the month

8:15-9:45 (9:00-10:30

May –August), Ben

Nighthorse Campbell

Building, Room 304:

Randy Ross

Child Grand Rounds

Please visit the DPRG

website for an updated

schedule.

If you are interested in

joining any of these

groups, contact the leader.

If there is an area not

covered that you think

there would be interest in,

please contact the DPRG

office.

MEIXNER POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS IN TRANSLATIONAL

RESEARCH :

The estate of Charles Meixner has generously funded the Autism Speaks’

Translational Research Initiative with the goal of advancing delivery of

products and services that improve life for those with autism. An initial

distribution of $1.75 million will support postdoctoral fellowships in

translational research, continuing an exciting and successful program

that began in 2011. More information about this generous gift is

available here.

Autism Speaks is pleased to announce the second year for the Meixner

Postdoctoral Fellowships in Translational Research. This fellowship is

designed to support well-qualified postdoctoral scientists in pursuing

training and research in the field of translational autism

science. Successful applicants will detail a project that bridges basic

laboratory research and behavioral or biomedical clinical research, and a

training plan that includes significant mentoring in both basic and

clinical research environments. Projects must have the fundamental

translational research aim of accelerating the conversion of basic

scientific discoveries into novel and more effective methods or products used to diagnose, prevent, or treat ASD.

Applicants MUST have at least two mentors - one in clinical research and one in basic research.

Access the full RFA for the Meixner Postdoctoral Fellowship on the Open Grants Webpage - HERE (deadlines are in

the RFA)

DENNIS WEATHERSTONE PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS:

Autism Speaks is pleased to announce the seventh year of the Dennis Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellowships. We

invite applications from predoctoral students who aim to pursue careers in autism research. The Fellows will work

with mentors who are leading scientists in autism research. This program supports the growth of a promising new

group of young scientists who have made autism-related research their chosen field. In order to facilitate a network of

collaboration and exchange of ideas, the Weatherstone program includes group interaction among the class of fellows

and an annual meeting with the Weatherstone family and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Find more information on

the Weatherstone program here.

Access the full RFA for the Weatherstone Predoctoral Fellowships on the Open Grants Webpage - HERE (deadlines

are in the RFA)

We also encourage you to join the RFA Notification List (http://events.autismspeaks.org/openRFAs).

Thank you,

Autism Speaks Science Grants Team

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Meetings scheduled for Tuesday,

September 23rd and December 9th

immediately following the seminars.

We are currently working on our Spring 2015 DPRG Seminar schedule. Please

contact Dr. Hepburn if you are interested in presenting.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

OTHER NEWS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

NRG1-IV impacts cortical glutamatergic and GABAergic development

and cognition in a mouse model of schizophrenia. Society of Biological

Psychiatry (Society of Biological Psychiatry). 2013. (Symposium

Speaker). Law AJ.

NRXN1, Brain Development, risk for schizophrenia and antipsychotic

drug response (Winter Conference on Brain Research). 2014

Symposium speaker. Law AJ.

Biological effects of COMT haplotypes in 22q11 deletion syndrome

(Winter Conference on Brain Research). 2014 Symposium speaker.

Law AJ.

Effects of transient overexposure of Neuregulin-3 during early

postnatal development on adult behaviors related to schizophrenia.

Poster. 2014 (Winter Conference on Brain Research). Paterson C and

Law AJ.

Ross RG, Hunter SK, McCarthy L, Hoffman C, Freedman R, Law AJ

(2014). NRG1, CHRNA7, Perinatal Choline Supplementation, and

Development of P50 Auditory Sensory Gating, a Marker of Later Risk

for Schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 75:388S

Beyond AKT1: Emerging Role of the Akt Signaling Network in

neurodevelopment, Cognition and Developmental Psychiatric

Disorders. 2014 (American College of Neuropsychopharmacology).

Law AJ Panel Symposium Chair and speaker.

Ken Maclean chaired a session and gave a lecture entitled "Oxidative

Stress and epigenetic alteration of gene expression: Towards a

unifying theory of pathogenesis in CBS deficient homocystinuria." at

the FASEB Science Research Conference, Folic acid, vitamin B12 and

one carbon metabolism August 3-8 2014, Steamboat Springs,

Colorado.

Wang, J., Jozsa, K., & Morgan, G. A. (2014, March). The Dimensions

of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ) revised: Measurement invariance

across children and adolescents in US, China, and Hungary. Poster

presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence, Austin, TX.

Wang, P.-J., Morgan, G. A., Hwang, A.-W., Chen, L.-C., & Liao, H.-F.

(2013 November). Do maternal interactive behaviors correlate with

developmental outcomes and mastery motivation in toddlers with and

without motor delay? Poster presented at the American Physical

Therapy Association’s Section on Pediatrics Annual Conference

(SoPAC), Anaheim, CA.

Wang, J., Jozsa, K., & Morgan, G. A. (2014, May). Measurement

invariance across children in US, China, and Hungary: A revised

Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ). [Summary] Program

and Proceedings of the 18th Biennial Developmental Psychology

Research Group Conference, 18, 14–15, Golden, CO.

Hambrick, E. P., Tunno, A., Gabrielli, J., Jackson, Y. & Belz, C.

(2014). Using multiple informants to assess child maltreatment:

Concordance between case file and youth self-report. Journal of

Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma. doi:

10.1080/10926771.2014.933463

Law AJ, Gothelf D, Frisch A, Chen J, Zarchi O, Michaelovsky E, Ren-

Patterson R, Lipska BK, Carmel M, Kolachana B, Weizman A,

Weinberger DR. Biological Effects of COMT Haplotypes and

Psychosis Risk in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Biol Psychiatry.2014

Mar 1;75(5):406-13.

Tost, H, Callicott, JH, Rasetti, R, Vakkalanka, R , Mattay, VS,

Weinberger, DR, Law AJ* 2014. J Neurosci, 34(3):1051-1056. Effects

of Neuregulin 3 (NRG3) genotype on human prefrontal cortex

physiology.

A Jenkins, JA. Apud, F Zhang, H Decot, DR Weinberger, AJ. Law*

Common genetic Variation in NRXN1 modulates Treatment Response

in Patients with Schizophrenia. 2014. Neuropsychopharm. 2014 Mar

14. doi: 10.1038/npp.2014.65. [Epub ahead of print]

Morita Y, Callicott JH, Testa LR, Mighdoll MI, Dickinson D, Chen Q,

Tao R, Lipska BK, Kolachana B, Law AJ, Ye T, Straub RE,

Weinberger DR, Kleinman JE, Hyde TM. J Neurosci. 2014 Apr 2;34

(14):4929-40. PMID: 24695712. Characteristics of the Cation

Cotransporter NKCC1 in Human Brain: Alternate Transcripts,

Expression in Development, and Potential Relationships to Brain

Function and Schizophrenia.

C Paterson, Y Wang, JE. Kleinman and AJ Law*. Effects of

Schizophrenia Risk Variation in the NRG1 Gene on NRG1-IV Splicing

During Fetal and Early Postnatal Human Neocortical Development.

2014. Am J Psychiatry. 2014 Jun 17. doi: 10.1176/

appi.ajp.2014.13111518

AJ Law*. Genetic mouse models of neuregulin 1: gene dosage

effects, isoform-specific functions, and relevance to schizophrenia. Biol

Psychiatry. 2014 Jul 15;76(2):89-90

C Paterson and AJ Law* Transient overexposure of Neuregulin 3

during early postnatal development impacts selective behavior. PLOS

one 2014. 014 Aug 5;9(8):e104172.

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PAPERS/POSTERS PRESENTED

PAPERS/BOOKS PUBLISHED

Schwebel, D. C., Lewis, T., Simon, T.R., Elliott, M.N., Toomey, S.L., Tortolero, S.R., Cuccarro, P.M., and Schuster, M.A. (2014). Prevalence and correlates of firearm ownership in the homes of fifth graders: Birmingham, AL, Houston, TX, and Los Angeles, CA. Health Education & Behavior, 41, 299-306. Doi: 10.1177/1090198113512126.

Peter R. Baker II, Marisa W. Friederich, Michael A. Swanson, Tamim Shaikh, Kaustuv Bhattacharya, Gunter H. Scharer, Joseph Aicher, Geralyn Creadon-Swindel, Elizabeth Geiger, Kenneth N. MacLean, Wang-Tso Lee, Charu Deshpande, Mary-Louise Freckmann, Ling-Yu Shih, Melissa Wasserstein, Malene B. Rasmussen, Allan M. Lund, Jesse Cameron, Brian Robinson, Gary K. Brown, Alison G. Compton, Carol L. Dieckmann, Renata Collard, Curtis R. Coughlin II, Elaine Spector, Michael F. Wempe, Johan L.K. Van Hove. Variant non-ketotic hyperglycinemia, a new disorder, is caused by genetic defects in lipoate biosynthesis, including mutations in LIAS, BOLA3, and the novel gene GLRX5. Brain. 2014,137:366-379.

James J. Galligan, Kristofer S. Fritz, Donald S. Backos, Colin T. Shearn, Rebecca L. Smathers, Hua Jiang, Kenneth N. MacLean, Philip R. Reigan, Dennis R. Petersen. GRP78 Demonstrates Resistance to Electrophile-Mediated Disruption in Chaperone Activity. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2014 Aug;73:411-20 Hua Jiang, Sally P. Stabler, Robert H. Allen, Steven H. Abman, Kenneth N. Maclean Altered hepatic sulfur metabolism in cystathionine beta-synthase deficient homocystinuria: Regulatory role of taurine upon competing cysteine oxidation pathways. FASEB Journal. 2014 Jun 2. pii: fj.14-253633.

Leech, N. L., Barrett, K. C., & Morgan, G. A. (2014). IBM SPSS for

intermediate statistics: Use and interpretation (5th ed.). New York, NY:

Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

Wang, P.-J., Morgan, G.A., Hwang, A.-W., Chen, L.-C., & Liao, H.-F.

(2014). Does maternal interactive behavior correlate with

developmental outcomes and mastery motivation in toddlers with and

without motor delay? Physical Therapy, 94, published online before

print.

Jozsa, K., & Morgan, G.A. (2014). Developmental changes in cognitive

persistence and academic achievement between grade 4 and grade 8.

European Journal of Psychology of Education. Doi: 10.1007/s10212-

014-0211-z.

Liao, H.-F. & Morgan, G. A. (2014). Relationships between maternal

interactive behavior and mastery motivation in children with

developmental disabilities. Developmental Medicine and Child

Neurology. 56 (3), 203–204, Doi: 10.1111/dmcn.12383. Commentary on

‘Mastery motivation in children with congenital hemiplegia: Individual

and environmental associations’ by Laura Miller et al. Developmental

Medicine and Child Neurology.56, 267–274.

FASEB Science Research Conference, Folic acid, vitamin B12 and one

carbon metabolism August 3-8 2014, Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Winter Conference on Brain Research, Jan 2014, Steamboat Springs,

Colorado.

Christian Hopfer received:

· 1 R01 DA035804-01A1 Multiple PI (Hopfer, Stallings, Wall)

Genetics and Progression of Early-onset Substance Dependence

and HIV Risk

NIH/NIDA Project Total Costs: $4,880,390 04/01/14-03/31/19

Amanda J Law received:

· (2014-2019) NIH, NIMH Law PI. R01 MH103716-01. Targets for

Treating Schizophrenia: AKT in Neurodevelopment and

Cognition. Pending Council Approval. Oct 2014.

Ken Maclean received:

· April 2014 William Hummel HCU research fund ($50,000)

Pathogenic mechanisms in HCU

· July 2014 Cystathionine as a treatment for vascular calcification

(Colorado BioScience Discovery Evaluation Grant) $170,000

George A. Morgan received:

· Morgan, G. A., Jozsa, K. J., & Barrett, K. C. (2014-15). Computer-

based motivation assessment for the transition to school. CSU

Ventures, $5950.

Terri Lewis received Child Abuse & Neglect (2013) Certificate of

Excellence in Reviewing. Awarded July, 2014

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RECENT CONFERENCES ATTENDED

FUNDING

AWARDS RECEIVED

DPRG NEWSLETTER UPDATE FORM

In order to keep information in our newsletter and our records current, it is important to hear of the activities of our DPRG community members. To make that task easier, please use this form (attach additional sheets if necessary) or fill out online. We will include this information in an upcoming issue of the Newsletter. Name: Phone #(s): Title/Affiliation: Address: E-mail: 1. Since the last issue of the newsletter was published, have you: a. Presented posters/papers at any meetings, conferences, etc.? (Please give date, location, name of

conference, presentation title.) b. Published any papers? (NOTE: Please list full citation. "In press" citations will not be printed in the

Newsletter. Please include ONLY published material.) c. Attended any conferences of interest to DPRG members? (Please give date, location, and name of

meeting.) d. Received any awards, honors, recognition for your work? (Please give title of award, awarding agency

and date that the award was given.) 2. Have you received funding for any research? (Please list sources, amount, dates and title of project.) 3. Do you know of any upcoming meetings that would be of interest to DPRG members and should be listed

in the Newsletter? (Please provide name, date, locations, and who to contact.)

Return form to: dprg@ucdenver.edu THANKS!

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