Dr. Lewis aims to define the processes that give rise to the cognitive deficits of schizophrenia by studying the neural circuitry of certain brain regions, with the goal of identifying potential targets for therapeutic interventions. His team is characterizing the development of normal prefrontal cortex circuitry in the macaque monkey, specifically examining events that occur during childhood and adolescence for their possible contribution to the emergence of cognitive disturbances of schizophrenia. The team then generates hypotheses regarding elements of neural circuitry that are dysfunctional in schizophrenia and tests them in postmortem brain specimens from patients with schizophrenia. The results are used to identify novel drug targets that are then tested in proof-of-concept clinical trials.

Dr. Lewis also directs the University of Pittsburgh’s National Institute of Mental Health Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders.