Peter Schmidt, M.D.
Chief of the Behavioral Endocrinology Branch, NIMH Intramural Research Program
Peter Schmidt is Chief of the Behavioral Endocrinology Branch (BEB) within the NIMH Intramural Research Program. The work of Dr. Schmidt and his colleagues has led to the development of important neuroendocrine models that clarify the role of reproductive hormones in the development of mood disorders in women. His laboratory studies the relationship between hormones, stress and mood, particularly in the areas of postpartum depression, premenstrual dysphoria and perimenopausal depression. The overall questions on which the BEB investigators focus are twofold. First, is there a relationship between the experience of negative affective states in these conditions and the endocrinology during which they occur, and, if so, then what are the biological mechanisms mediating these relationships. Finally, given the onsets of multiple psychiatric illnesses during adolescence, the emergence of sex differences in the prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders and the demonstration that many of these conditions have developmental origins, his lab is also longitudinally examining the neurodevelopmental effects of sex steroids during puberty.