Thomas R. Insel
Thomas R. Insel
Thomas Roland Inselis an American neuroscientist and psychiatrist who led the National Institute of Mental Healthfrom 2002 until November 2015. Prior to becoming Director of NIMH, he was Director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for research on oxytocin and vasopressin, two peptide hormones implicated in complex social behaviors, such as parental care and attachment. He announced on Sept. 15, 2015, that he was resigning as the director of the...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionScientist
Date of Birth19 October 1951
CountryUnited States of America
After a century of studying schizophrenia, the cause of the disorder remains unknown.
A National Database on Autism Research is fostering sharing of data and collaborations. Scientists are also making great strides at the interface of biology and engineering with new technologies that are laying the groundwork for future advances.
What causes autism? As far as we know in 2013, there is no single gene or single environmental factor that accounts for the more than 1 million Americans with ASDs.
Unlike the heart or kidney, which have a small, defined set of cell types, we still do not have a taxonomy of neurons, and neuroscientists still argue whether specific types of neurons are unique to humans. But there is no disputing that neurons are only about 10 percent of the cells in the human brain.
We need to ask whether, in the long term, some individuals with a history of psychosis may do better off medication.
Sometimes, patients with serious mental illness, just as with other serious medical illnesses, require hospitalization. In the absence of available public or private hospital beds, there are few options.