Neuropsychiatry

The Division of Neuropsychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital is focused on:

  • Providing state-of-the art clinical care to patients with neuropsychiatric conditions
  • Training and educating students and professionals on the growing and expanding field of
  • Neuropsychiatry
  • Increasing knowledge and understanding of brain-behavior relationships and expanding therapeutic interventions through research

Clinical Services

Our large, leading team of neuropsychiatry clinicians (neuropsychiatrists and neuropsychiatry social workers) has expertise across the full range of brain-mind disorders. We provide evaluation and treatment for emotional, behavioral, cognitive and perceptual difficulties in the context of neurologic illness, whether it has already been diagnosed or is an underlying possible cause. The neuropsychiatric aspects of epilepsy, major neurocognitive disorders, functional neurological disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, traumatic brain injury, developmental disabilities and neuroinflammatory conditions are among the areas of sub-specialized focus. Our neuropsychiatrists also have expertise in neuromodulation therapies, offered through the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics Center. (CBMM).

The Division of Neuropsychiatry at Brigham and Women's Hospital is an integral part of the Brigham's Center for Brain/Mind Medicine (CBMM), working in close collaboration with specialists in behavioral neurology, geriatric psychiatry, physiatry, neuropsychology, social work, physical and occupational therapy. We take pride in offering state-for-the-art multidisciplinary care to patients in an individualized fashion.

Our clinical services take place in the ambulatory and in the inpatient consultation-liaison settings. Our ambulatory services include outpatient consultations that offer recommendations for the referring clinician, as well as initial evaluations with the possibility of short-term treatment. Depending on the initial referral question, we may offer an initial assessment within our sub-specialized programs. Our division also has a presence within the inpatient consultation-liaison service, where consults from neurological services are routed to our neuropsychiatry specialists. Our broad and deep expertise allows a comprehensive consideration of differential diagnosis and an integrated formulation and treatment plan.

If interested in being evaluated by our team in the ambulatory setting, we strongly encourage referral from a clinician already involved in your care. Call 617-732-6753 (select “Triage”) for more questions.

Education and Training

Our educational programs encompass all level of training: from medical and other graduate students to resident, fellows, and practicing physicians and allied health professionals.

Our division offers a 4-week elective medical student rotation through Harvard Medical School. This elective can be adapted to meet the needs of rotators at other levels of training. The rotation exposes students to various clinical programs in Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology. Depending on credentialing, students actively participate in clinical care and take part in CBMM educational activities.

We are fully integrated within the Brigham and Women's Hospital Psychiatry Residency Program, offering from brief to year-long experiences in Neuropsychiatry to our residents. Residents from other programs may be considered for a rotation based on credentialing and availability.

In collaboration with the Brigham and Women's Hospital Center for Brain/Mind Medicine, we offer a United Council for Neurological Subspecialties (UCNS)-approved fellowship training program in Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry. The program offers intense clinical training in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry with the possibility of additional focused research training.

The Brigham CBMM offers a monthly Seminar Series where topics are discussed that lie at the borders of traditional brain-based disciplines. Speakers are recruited from a variety of disciplines in order to present diverse perspectives on brain/mind function.

Our faculty organizes and participates in a yearly continuing medical education program Neuropsychiatry: A Comprehensive Update, offered through Harvard Medical School Continuing Medical Education. This concentrated 2.5-day course draws learners from all over the world, and aims to educate trainees, physicians and allied health professionals on the growing field of Neuropsychiatry, allowing them to incorporate updated knowledge into their clinical practices.

Faculty from the Division of Neuropsychiatry and the Brigham and Women's Hospital Center for Brain/Mind Medicine edited and authored (with other collaborators) a comprehensive textbook, Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology: Principles and Practice [add link], a repository of updated information and practical guidance for anyone interested in the field.

Research

Research in Neuropsychiatry aims to advance knowledge and understanding of brain-behavior relationships and neuropsychiatric conditions, and to develop diagnostic and therapeutic tools to more precisely offer relief to patients suffering from neuropsychiatric conditions.

Faculty from the Division of Neuropsychiatry actively participate in clinical and translational research related to specific areas within Neuropsychiatry. Our faculty and trainees collaborate with other established research groups within Brigham and Women's Hospital, including the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment, the Laboratory of Healthy Cognitive Aging, The Brigham Research Institute Center for Research on Women's Health and Gender Biology, and the Mood and Psychosis research program.

Specific areas of research from our faculty include:

  • Functional Neuroimaging (Dr. David Silbersweig and the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory)
  • Brain Circuitry and Neuromodulation (Dr. Michael Fox, Dr. Shan Siddiqi, Dr. Joseph Taylor and the Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics )
  • Neuroinflammatory disorders (Dr. Jessica Harder)
  • Functional neurological disorder (Dr. Gaston Baslet, Dr. Irene Gonsalvez and the FND team)
  • Computational Psychiatry (Dr. Stanley Lyndon)

Faculty from the Division of Neuropsychiatry and their collaborators and mentees have received extramural and intramural funding to conduct their research. Recruitment occurs within each research program, based on diagnosis and available opportunities for participation.

Our Team

Meet our neuropsychiatry team

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