Michael Halassa’s Blog
The Self as a Coalition: How the Brain’s Distributed Systems Shape Mental Health
Explore how the brain’s reward-seeking and predictive systems interact, and how their tension underlies conditions like psychosis and mania. Learn how this framework can inform mental health treatment.
Chronic Stimulant Use and Psychosis: Risks, Mechanisms, and Treatment Insights
Discover the link between chronic stimulant use and psychosis, with insights from Mildred’s story and the science behind dopamine dysregulation. Learn about treatment options and prevention strategies.
Early Experience with Cobenfy: A Promising Schizophrenia Treatment for Specific Cases
Discover how Cobenfy (xanomeline/trospium), a novel muscarinic agonist, is transforming schizophrenia treatment for resistant cases, improving negative symptoms, and offering hope for patients
GABAergic Targeting in Psychotic Disorders: A Forgotten Piece of the Puzzle?
Michael Halassa discussed the overlooked potential for GABAergic systems in schizophrenia treatment. Both existing and upcoming medications are discussed.
Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: An unmet need
Michael Halassa outlines the challenges in diagnosing schizophrenia when the most prominent attribute is negative symptoms.
Paper Alert! Revealing the Neural Basis of Executive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
I would like to highlight a new paper that we published in collaboration with Neil Woodward’s lab at Vanderbilt, co-lead by research professors Anna Huang (Vanderbilt) and Ralf Wimmer (Tufts), with contributions from postdoctoral fellow Norman Lam and MSTP student...
KarXT: A New Medication for treating Schizophrenia
I recently participated in the 7th Neuropsychiatric Drug Development Summit in Boston, which was a refreshing experience. Steve Moss and I co-led a workshop focused on the integration of systems and cellular neuroscience as it relates to drug discovery (more on that...
A Blueprint for Algorithmic Psychiatry: Revolutionizing Mental Health Treatment
Mental health care has long been dominated by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a classification system that guides clinicians in diagnosing and treating psychiatric illnesses. While the DSM has provided a standardized approach to...