Since joining the Tulsa-based Laureate Institute for Brain Research in 2014, Dr. Martin Paulus has pursued new ways to leverage neuroscience to treat mental illness.
Paulus, the institute's president and scientific director, assumed his post five years after LIBR's opening in 2009. The institute houses a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from a wide array of backgrounds, including physics, neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, computer science and genetics. LIBR's researchers all share a goal of identifying targetable causes of mental health problems and using neuroscience to develop treatments for them.
Paulus studied medicine at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz in Germany before receiving a postdoctoral fellowship to study at the University of California San Diego. After completing a residency in psychiatry, he became an assistant professor at UC San Diego and a staff psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Health Care System. He now serves as a professor at the University of Tulsa.
In this Q&A, Paulus describes the work done by his team, including LIBR's promising research into treating mental illness that has not responded to traditional therapies. Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and style.
Can you explain what you do for our readers who are, for the most part, not neuroscientists?
At LIBR, we work on understanding how the brain contributes to mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and substance use disorders. We use tools like brain imaging to see how different parts of the brain communicate and function. Our goal is to find better ways to diagnose these conditions and develop treatments that work for people who haven't responded to traditional therapies.
Essentially, we want to know how the brain works when someone is struggling with mental health, so we can offer better, more effective solutions.
How did you get into this work?
My journey into this field started with a deep curiosity about how the brain influences behavior and emotions. Early in my career, I was drawn to psychiatry and neuroscience because these fields allow us to understand the biological processes that underlie complex mental health issues. I was fascinated by the idea that understanding brain function could lead to better treatments for disorders that affect millions of people around the world.
Over time, this led me to focus on using brain imaging to explore how we make decisions, how we process emotions and how we can intervene to help people with psychiatric conditions.
What led you to move from San Diego to Oklahoma to join LIBR?
The move from San Diego, which is known for its strong neuroscience community, to Oklahoma may seem surprising, but it was motivated by the unique opportunity to build something new. LIBR was founded with a clear mission: to push the boundaries of mental health research using innovative technologies like neuroimaging and neuromodulation.
Oklahoma offered a chance to create an institute focused entirely on translational neuroscience -- taking what we learn in the lab and applying it to help people with mental health challenges. While San Diego has a rich research ecosystem, Oklahoma provided the support and space to build LIBR from the ground up, creating a hub that's making a difference in mental health research.
What are the challenges of doing neuroscience research in Oklahoma? Any unique benefits?
One of the challenges is that Oklahoma doesn't have the same density of neuroscience institutions as places like California. This can make it harder to recruit certain types of researchers or to create partnerships with other institutions.
However, the unique benefit is that Oklahoma is incredibly supportive of innovation in health care and mental health. We have built strong relationships with local universities, hospitals and health systems, which has allowed us to integrate our research into real-world clinical settings. The support from the local community and institutions has been tremendous, allowing us to focus on projects that might not have been possible in more crowded academic hubs.
What projects at your lab are you most excited about?
One of the most interesting findings from our research is related to how the brain processes negative thoughts in people with depression and anxiety. We've been using brain imaging to see how certain brain areas are overactive in these individuals, particularly when they are stuck in repetitive negative thinking. By understanding which brain circuits are involved, we're exploring ways to "quiet" these areas.
I'm particularly excited about our work on neuromodulation, which involves using non-invasive techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation and low-intensity focused ultrasound to influence brain activity. We're using these methods to see if we can help people who haven't responded to traditional treatments for depression or anxiety. Another project that excites me is our work with electronic health record data, where we're analyzing electronic health records to predict which patients might not respond to certain treatments. This could lead to more personalized treatment plans and improve outcomes for people with difficult-to-treat mental health conditions.
Has any of your research translated to clinical therapies or tools to help people with anxiety or mood disorders?
Yes, our research has led to the development of practical tools and therapies aimed at improving mental health, particularly for anxiety and mood disorders. One example is a resilience program we developed for college students, which was designed to improve their mental health by teaching them skills like mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral strategies and emotional regulation. This program, which was tested in a pragmatic clinical trial, showed significant results in reducing symptoms of depression and stress among students by the end of their first semester. It's an example of how we're translating research into actionable tools that can be broadly implemented, even outside of clinical settings.
The resilience program is particularly exciting because it's designed to be brief, scalable and universally applicable. The skills taught in the program have shown to increase resilience, improve cognitive-behavioral skills and help manage stress -- critical factors in preventing the development of more severe mental health conditions. This kind of work exemplifies how we are taking insights from neuroscience and psychology and turning them into interventions that can be delivered in real-world settings to help people manage anxiety and mood disorders effectively.
What do you think about the future of PTSD treatments and the new direction toward psychedelics as treatments?
The future of PTSD treatment is promising, especially with the growing interest in psychedelics as potential therapies. There's a lot of excitement around the possibility that substances like psilocybin and MDMA could help individuals with PTSD by promoting new ways of processing trauma. The key is understanding how these substances affect the brain and how they can be safely integrated into therapy.
While there's still much research to be done, early studies suggest that these treatments could provide relief for people who haven't found success with traditional approaches.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I'd add that at LIBR, we're deeply committed to translating science into practice. Our work is not just about understanding the brain -- it's about improving lives. We're constantly looking for ways to make our research accessible and impactful, whether that's through new therapies, partnerships with local health systems or community-focused programs. We believe that mental health care should be informed by the latest science, and we're dedicated to making sure our research leads to tangible improvements in the way mental health conditions are treated.