PGENeS Research Lab

Have you experienced two or more of these symptoms?
• Excessive worrying
• Feeling agitated or irritable
• Restlessness
• Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
• Difficulty concentrating
• Tense muscles
• Racing thoughts
• Feelings of impending doom

Researchers at the University of Florida are conducting a research study on the herbal supplement, Kava, and its effect on anxiety. This study will include an interview about your health and medical history, lab screenings, study medication for one week and schedule blood draws over the course of 12 weeks. If interested, please email [email protected] or call 352-294-5564. Participants may be compensated for time spent in the study.

Here is our very first staff spotlight of the week, showcasing Yi-Chieh Chang!

"I maintain the collection of genetic material in past and current studies, make sure the lab run safely and efficiently per regulations of the states and university and support other research activities of my colleagues." - Yi-Chieh Chang.

Weekly Disorder Spotlight: OCD

Ever had a thought that just won’t go away, or feel the need to do something to get rid of that thought? Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder that induces intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or strong urges for repetitive behaviors (compulsions). OCD affects millions of Americans. Additionally, OCD is falsely depicted in a lot of media. It is not just an urge to wash your hands, and it oftentimes has very negative consequences on peoples’ lives! With all this in mind, our team is conducting research that will help further our understanding on OCD and, hopefully, improve the lives of those with it.

Check out the article below for more information on the prevalence of OCD and related disorders:
https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics #:~:text=OCD%20affects%202.2%20million%20adults,cases%20occurring%20by%20age%2014.

In her article for The Conversation, Dr. Carol Mathews provides an excellent insight into the effect the pandemic has had on hoarding disorder.
https://theconversation.com/hoarding-stockpiling-panic-buying-whats-normal-behavior-in-an-abnormal-time-149422

For more information on the lab and related inquiries, please refer to https://www.pgenes.net/.

Hoarding, stockpiling, panic buying: What's normal behavior in an abnormal time? The pandemic has put a spotlight on a once little-discussed disorder – hoarding. But hoarding disorder is not what you might think.

In her latest article for Psychology Today, Dr. Carol Mathews explains how panic buying and opportunism during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to further stigmatization of people with hoarding disorder.

Hoarding and the COVID-19 Pandemic How panic buying and opportunism have confused some and stigmatized others.

As a research lab studying , we love to see people in the and Tic Disorder community thriving!

Congratulations to Billie Eilish! Last night she was the winner of the top Billboard 200 album, top female artist, and top new artist at the Billboard Music Awards. Your hard work and authenticity is an inspiration to so many in the and Tic Disorder community!

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) are often comorbid and likely to share genetic risk factors. We examined their shared genetic background, and our results confirm and extend genetic epidemiological findings of shared risk between AN and OCD. Click on the link below to read the full publication:

Examination of the shared genetic basis of anorexia nervosa and obsessive–compulsive disorder Anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) are often comorbid and likely to share genetic risk factors. Hence, we examine their shared genetic background using a cross-disorder GWAS meta-analysis of 3495 AN cases, 2688 OCD cases, and 18,013 controls. We confirmed a high genetic ...

Tourette syndrome (TS) is characterized by high rates of psychiatric comorbidity; however, few studies have fully characterized these comorbidities. We found that psychiatric comorbidities are common among individuals with TS, most comorbidities begin early in life, and some comorbidities may be mediated by the presence of comorbid OCD or ADHD. Click on the link below to read the full publication:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2110028

Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Tourette Syndrome

Trying to figure out the best way to recruit underrepresented groups for hoarding disorder research? Our findings suggest an ongoing multimodal approach is likely to be most effective in both soliciting and retaining a diverse sample. Click on the link below to read the full publication:

Recruiting under-represented populations into psychiatric research: Results from the help for hoarding study This study compares the effectiveness of approaches used to recruit a diverse sample for a randomized clinical trial for Hoarding Disorder (HD) in the…

Welcome to the official page for the Program in Genetics & Epidemiology of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (PGENeS) Lab! PGENeS is composed of researchers and clinicians at the University of Florida with collaborators at the University of California, San Francisco. Our lab studies how genes, environment, and culture interact to influence the development and expression of neuropsychiatric syndromes, including anxiety, ADHD, OCD, compulsive hoarding, and tic disorders. We look forward to sharing our research with you!