Doctoral Dissertation Research: How do perceptions of neuroplasticity impact mental health care?

Recent decades have witnessed an explosion of new mental health treatments. Physicians vary in the extent to which they adjust their practices to incorporate these novel treatments, with decisions based on a number of factors, including individual training, patient and physician characteristics, and how research evidence is interpreted. One interesting concept associated with uptake of novel mental health therapies is neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to change in response to therapeutic interventions. This doctoral dissertation uses the concept of neuroplasticity to investigate how physicians’ explanatory frameworks impact and are impacted by the availability of novel mental health therapies. It contributes to science and technology studies, medical anthropology, and studies investigating how science and medicine are put into practice. It trains a graduate student in scientific cultural anthropology theory and methods, involves dissemination to academic, medical, and public audiences, and enhances undergraduate curricula. The investigators conduct long-term ethnographic research involving participant observation and interviews of care providers and patients, including shadowing researchers and participating in training sessions regarding the use of novel therapies. Specifically, the investigator queries how understandings of neuroplasticity shape the uptake and delivery of novel therapeutic agents and how patient and physician characteristics impact understandings of neuroplasticity and medical practice. This timely project informs important theoretical issues in cultural and medical anthropology that have translational significance for healthcare delivery. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.