Welcome from the Director

Martin Paulus, M.D.
President and Scientific Director

"Since arriving at LIBR in 2014, I have been enormously energized by the opportunity to make a real difference using neuroscience to improve the life of patients with mental illness. At the same time, I recognize this is a very challenging task, which cannot be accomplished overnight. However, with a thoughtful eye on what is doable, we are hoping to make a measureable impact on ways to assess and treat patients within five years.

We have started a major study at LIBR, the Tulsa 1000, or T-1000. The goal for this study is to determine whether neuroscience-based measures can be used to predict outcomes in patients with mental illness. In particular, we are trying to determine what factors best predict who will respond well to a particular treatment. The study is a definitive step towards developing a science-based personalized medicine approach in mental health. Unfortunately, mental health treatment providers are still using guesswork and intuition in matching treatments to patients. As a consequence mental health treatment is fundamentally a trial and error endeavor, which can result in prolonged suffering if treatments do not work. The hope is that we will be able to use scientific approaches to more precisely match patients to treatments."
Dr. Paulus Joins JAMA Psychiatry Editorial Board
Congratulations to Dr. Martin Paulus for being appointed to the Editorial Board of the top-ranked psychiatry journal, JAMA Psychiatry.

Meet the Investigators

Yoon-Hee Cha, M.D.
Assistant Professor

Research Interests

1. Exploring the role of the cerebellum in regulating cerebral networks, especially as it pertains to anxiety and depression

2. Understanding the connection between motion perception disorders, anxiety, and migraine headache

3. Using functional neuroimaging and EEG to guide neuromodulation treatment

4. Developing neuromodulation tools that can be accessible to more patients

Dr. Cha published the first studies on imaging in chronic motion illusion, the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation to change motion perception in MdDS, and is currently running the largest trial in monitored home use of transcranial direct current stimulation.  She has published over 80 papers and abstracts, and has received funding from the NIH, the American Academy of Neurology, the Oklahoma Center for Science and Technology, and the MdDS Balance Disorders Foundation.  She currently runs the TMS laboratory at LIBR and helps manage research related clinical issues for LIBR study participants.  

Dr. Cha is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Tulsa and Principal Investigator at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research.

What's New & Noteworthy

Feinstein Lab Publishes Float Study in PLoS One

LIBR is excited to announce the PLoS One publication of the 1st float study ever conducted in patients suffering from both anxiety and depression. Dr. Justin Feinstein and colleagues showed that 1 hour of float therapy can provide significant short-term relief from symptoms of stress and anxiety, leaving patients in a peaceful and serene mental state. While the current study examined only the short-term effects of floating, studies are currently underway to evaluate the long-term benefits of floating after repeated practice.
LIBR Awarded $11.3 Million Grant

LIBR has been awarded an $11.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help researchers predict and treat mood and anxiety disorders.

Known as a Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) award, it is the largest grant awarded to the institute to date.

“This funding makes possible the collaborative advancement of mental health research for the benefit of all Oklahomans while also laying the groundwork for pivotal future funding in mental health science.” - Dr. Martin Paulus, Scientific Director and President
LIBR Awarded Prestigious Grant

LIBR is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a prestigious grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with 21 Research Project Sites, as part of a landmark study about the effects of adolescent substance use on the developing brain. This study will be a unique opportunity for the Tulsa region to contribute to a national effort to better understand the brain.

LIBR's ABCD Coordinator, Florence Breslin, has received the ABCD Contributor Award from Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at NIH for her work on the study.

William K. Warren Jr. "Frontiers in Neuroscience" Conferences Series

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Speaker: Charles Raison, M.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison

Topic: Evolution Comes to the Clinic:  Relevance of Ancient Practices for 21st Century Mental Health

Location: Laureate Conference Center, 6655 South Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK 74136
​
Time: 11:00-11:45 a.m. Lunch (registration required), 12:00-1 p.m. Presentation

To register for the event, email Lauren Haguewood at lehaguewood@saintfrancis.com
This event is free and open to the public.

Tulsa 1000 Update

In January 2015, LIBR launched the groundbreaking new Tulsa 1000 (T-1000) study. In our first year, we enrolled 164 of the 1000 participants. Currently, over 800 people have completed the baseline study and new participants are continuing to enroll each week. 

The T-1000 aims to determine how biological and objective behavioral measures can improve assessment and treatment of people with disorders of mood and anxiety, eating and substance use. 1000 people from Tulsa and the surrounding areas will be recruited to enter the study.

To learn more about participating in research at LIBR, please visit our Ongoing Studies section, call 918-502-5100, or email info@laureateinstitute.org.