Distinguished Research Professor 2018

Brett Clementz, professor in the Department of Psychology, has rapidly advanced the understanding of the biological bases of psychoses with the use of brain scan technologies, batteries of patient tests, and sophisticated data analysis. His early goal was to learn how inaccurate sensory processing can lead to abnormalities in brain functioning and behavior. His laboratory later identified biomarkers of neurobiological deviations that are associated with manifestations of different subgroups of psychoses. These biomarkers could allow clinicians to diagnose and target medications more accurately. With growing evidence to support a novel taxonomy of psychiatric illness, he helped spearhead a game-changing movement to re-envision diagnoses of psychoses based not on century-old symptom groupings but using the tools of modern neuroscience. His work on alterations in brain oscillation patterns has also shown how integrated brain activity supports higher level cognition, emotion processing and other aspects of behavior.