Carlucci Puts Spotlight on Mental Health Research in Rockland

Researchers at the Nathan Kline Institute in Orangeburg are breaking new ground with the "NKI-Rockland Sample" study of the human brain, now in its second of four years using cutting edge techniques to examine volunteers of all ages and demographics in Rockland County.

New York State Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester) joined scientists at the institute Thursday to put the spotlight on the study, which he hopes will improve quality of life for those suffering from mental illness and bring research dollars into Rockland County.

"We want to make sure Rocklanders and New Yorkers know how important this work being done here is," Carlucci said. "First, the research being done, this cutting edge research, will cut down on pain and suffering."


Carlucci, who is the chair of the Senate Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee, said the hope is also that improved treatments can reduce New York's expenses for Medicaid, which are the highest in the nation. 

"If we can find cures and state of the art treatments to help people live with mental illness, we can drive those numbers down. That number of Alzheimer's (disease) costing us $200 billion per year (nationally) is expected to rise. The investment we make today in research will be profoundly appreciated in the years to come.

"The third part is economic development. By doing the work here today, we are able to access grants, which allows us to hire scientists and allows us to birth new technologies and new businesses we can't fathom today. This study, Rockland Sample, will be used as a foundation for scientists around the world for years to come."

The NKI-Rockland Sample has brought in $9.5 million in funding, with other grants pending. Some of those would involve related studies, including one that follows children age six to 18 for three years. 

"The hope is this will be a living, breathing sample for years to come," said NKI-Rockland Sample Director Dr. Michael Milham. 

The NKI-Rockland Sample is focused on understanding how the brain develops and changes over the course of the human lifespan. Nathan Kline Institute Director of Research Dr. Donald C. Goff compared the goal to the Framingham Heart Study, which provided the basis for vast improvements in the prevention of heart disease in the United States, though this research is focused on mental illness.

"The NKI-Rockland Sample is an extraordinary opportunity for an entire community to create knowledge that will help scientists around the world unlock the mysteries of the brain," Goff said. "The children, adolescents and adults in Rockland County are generously giving of their time and energy to participate in the NKI-Rockland Sample, a research project that for the first time covers the entire lifespan allowing us to gain a far better understanding of how the brain develops in both health and diseases like schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, ADHD and autism spectrum disorders."

Milham explained that the study breaks ground in multiple areas. Rather than focusing on one age group, they are studying volunteers from the ages of six to 85. He said that approximately 75 percent of psychiatric illness starts by the age of 24. 

"With Alzheimer's, we see much later onsets, but one often wonders what are those earlier markers," Milham said. 

They are also dealing with people who are mentally healthy as well as those with all sorts of disorders. The institute is also constantly sharing its results, with the idea that the information will be a resource to mental health researchers worldwide. 

"We are designing this as a resource for the scientific community," Milham said. "We are bringing it into the larger scientific community and creating a data set that will get the rest of the world involved and bring their attention to mental health. That is a major advance, that we have a data sharing philosophy that is serving as a model for the field. We're not waiting four or five years for the study to be done to share. As we are progressing, we are sharing while collecting and analyzing."

The researchers pointed out that confidentiality of the volunteers is a high priority and those who share in the more detailed data must sign legal documents that guarantee the information will be secure. Goff thanked the 300 Rockland County residents who have participated in the study so far, but the goal is to reach 2,000 volunteers over life of the four-year project. 

Each volunteer goes through two days of testing, which consists of non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging scans and questionnaires. The advanced technology allows the institute to gather more information in a shorter period of time than other projects. Participants can receive up to $200 and most travel and meal costs are reimbursed. For more information or to volunteer, call (845) 398-2183 or go tohttp://rocklandsample.rfmh.org. 

"I'm so excited to stand with the Kline Institute to promote the Rockland Sample," Carlucci said. "We are calling on all Rockland County residents interested in participating from ages six to 86 to participate in this wonderful study that is ongoing here at the Nathan Kline Institute."