Researchers funded by NIMH have found that astrocytes, a type of brain cell, can harbor HIV and then spread the virus to immune cells that traffic out of the brain and into other organs.
Source: nimh

In a new paper, published in JAMA Psychiatry, NIMH looks forward, outlining the next stages in the Institute’s suicide prevention research priorities.
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Right now, people across the country are currently coping with yet another episode of violence perpetrated against a person of color. In this Institute Update, Dr. Gordon addresses recent events.
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In 2019, the Congressional Black Caucus convened an emergency Taskforce to examine Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health. The Taskforce released its report in December 2019, highlighting several recommendations for increased research, intervention development, and community engagement. In collaboration with the Office of Behavioral Health Equity at SAMHSA, this 90-minute interactive roundtable webinar featured co-authors of the Taskforce report, including the leader of the Taskforce, answering our most pressing questions about Black youth suicide.
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This week, the National Institute of Mental Health unveiled its new NIMH Strategic Plan for Research. In this Director’s message, Dr. Gordon discusses the advances in knowledge and treatment that got us to where we are today and points to where we want our research to go in the future.
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The Strategic Plan for Research advances the Institute’s mission and helps guide future mental health research efforts.
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The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Working GroupReport to the Advisory Committee to the NIH Director, BRAIN 2025: A Scientific Vision, as well as the more recent mid-course evaluation, The BRAIN Initiative 2.0: From Cells to Circuits, Toward Cures, call for NIH to create a data infrastructure for BRAIN Initiative data. This concept calls for a renewal of the data archive component of that infrastructure.
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This initiative would complement existing NIMH-participating initiatives that aim to support research at multiple stages in the drug development pipeline, including assay development and screening (PAR-17-438); optimization and early preclinical discovery (PAR-19-146, PAR-19-147); and, the transition from early discovery to Phase I Clinical Trials (PAR-18-541, PAR-18-546).
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The goal of this initiative is to support the scientific work and research career development of exceptionally talented scientists who are in the early, formative stages of their careers and who plan to make a long-term career commitment to mental health research.
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This initiative would encourage innovative research projects to address gaps where high confidence risk factors associated with complex brain disorders have been identified, but the basic neurobiology of those factors is poorly understood.
Source: nimh