Stanford Psychiatry at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
January 2026
In mid-January, members of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology gathered in Paradise Island, Bahamas, for the 2026 Annual Conference. This annual meeting is one of the world’s leading forums for the exchange of cutting-edge scientific information about the brain, behavior, and psychotropic drugs.
The meeting featured an array of presentations, panel discussions, and poster sessions, all designed to foster collaboration and spark innovative ideas that can lead to meaningful advancements in the field.
Honors and Awards
Two members of our department were honored with awards at the meeting. Congratulations to Alan Schatzberg, MD, recipient of the Paul Hoch Distinguished Service Award - presented by the ACNP when an individual has made remarkably significant contributions to the College. The Joel Elkes Research Award was presented honoring the late Nolan Williams, MD, in recognition of an outstanding clinical contribution to neuropsychopharmacology.
Congratulations also to Natalie Zahr, PhD, who was promoted from Member to Fellow, in recognition of substantial contributions to the College and to the field of neuropsychopharmacology.
ACNP annually selects distinguished young scientists in the field of neuropsychopharmacology to be part of their Travel Award Program, which offers the opportunity to attend the outstanding scientific program in clinical and basic research on brain-behavior-drug interactions. Congratulations to the recipients in our department: Kevin Kelley, MD, PhD, Jason Tucciarone, MD, PhD, Thomas Hainmueller, MD, PhD, and Daniel McCalley, PhD.
ACNP also selected Paula Muñoz Rodríguez, PhD, for the Near-Peer Mentorship Program (2026 Cohort), a national cohort of outstanding early-career scientists recognized for intensive, multi-year mentorship and career development.
Stanford Presenters and Topics from the 2026 Meeting
Several members of our department attended and presented at the meeting this year - explore their many topics in the list below.
Plenary
Presidential Plenary: Brain-Periphery Interactions in the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Study of Neuropsychiatric Illness
Topic: Light-gated membrane channels: discovery and creation of diversity, new principles for ion selectivity, and translational insights into human adaptive behavior
Stanford Presenter: Karl Deisseroth, MD, PhD
Panels, Mini-Panels, Study Groups, and Special Sessions
The Future of Animal Modeling in Psychiatric Neuroscience: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Role of Novel Alternative Methods (NAMs) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Based Approaches
Topic: Integrating Novel Technologies into Translational Studies of the Neurodevelopmental Origins of Early-Life Psychopathology Across NHPs and Humans
Stanford Presenter: Nakul Aggarwal, MD, PhD
Antidepressant Efficacy and Mechanisms of Pramipexole
Topic: Circuit-Based Precision Medicine for Reward Circuit Dysfunction in Depression: From Retrospective Discovery to Prospective Validation
Stanford Presenter: Teddy Akiki, MD
Potential Benefits of Buprenorphine for Suicidality
Topic: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Low-Dose Buprenorphine to Prolong Ketamine’s Antisuicidal Effects in Treatment-Resistant Depression
Stanford Presenter: Igor D. Bandeira, MD, PhD
Career Development Session: Degrees of Uncertainty: Surviving Science
Topic: Navigating Uncertainty
Stanford Participant: Carolyn Rodriguez, MD, PhD
Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health: Bridging Innovation, and Clinical Translation
Stanford Co-Chair: Carolyn Rodriguez, MD, PhD
Potential Benefits of Buprenorphine for Suicidality
Stanford Co-Chair: Alan Schatzberg, MD
Rethinking Striatal Organization and Function – Exploring the Emerging Roles of Unique Striatal Subpopulations in Health and Disease
Topic: Atypical Nucleus Accumbens Neurons Locally Regulate Dopamine and Shape Opioid Withdrawal and Relapse Behaviors
Stanford Presenter: Jason Tucciarone, MD, PhD
Neuromodulation Underlying Social Deficiencies
Stanford Co-Chair: Robert Malenka, MD, PhD
Posters
Low Dose Buprenorphine Enhances the Antisuicidal Effects of Ketamine in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Stanford Presenter: Igor D. Bandeira, MD, PhD
Serotonin Modulation of Social Behavior Across Striatal Subregions
Stanford Presenter: Allen Chen, MD, PhD
Psy-Map.com: A Genetics Browser for Neuroscientists
Stanford Presenter: Laramie Duncan, PhD
Examining Fronto-Limbic Brain and Sleep Mechanisms of Anti-Depressant Effects in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
Stanford Presenter: Andrea Goldstein-Piekarski, PhD
The Role of C4A Gene Expression in Synaptic Formation
Stanford Presenter: Agnieszka Kalinowski, MD, PhD
Leveraging fMRI Alcohol Cue-Reactivity to Determine Data-Driven TMS Targets for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Case for DMPFC and IPL Stimulation
Stanford Presenter: Daniel McCalley, PhD
From Polygenic Risk to Circuit Pathology: Discovering Human Neuronal Cell Types Underlying PTSD Using Well-Powered Human Datasets
Stanford Presenter: Shagayeg Navabpour, PhD
Paradoxical Network-Mediated Excitation During Optogenetic Stimulation of Inhibitory Interneurons in the Mouse Dentate Gyrus
Stanford Presenter: Thomas Hainmueller, MD, PhD
Distinct Encoding of Reward and Aversion by D1 Cell Subtypes in the Nucleus Accumbens
Stanford Presenter: Matthew Pomrenze, PhD
Local Theta Power Changes as a Reliable Biomarker of iTBS Target Engagement
Stanford Presenter: Ethan Solomon, MD, PhD
Atypical Nucleus Accumbens Neurons Locally Regulate Dopamine and Shape Opioid Withdrawal and Relapse Behaviors
Stanford Presenter: Jason Tucciarone, MD, PhD
Aspartate to Alanine Transaminase (AST/ALT) but Not Liver Functioning Discriminates Parkinson's From Other Diseases
Stanford Presenter: Natalie Zahr, PhD
Stratifying Mdma Response Using Negative Affect Circuit Biotypes With Clinical Validation
Stanford Presenter: Xue Zhang, PhD
A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Nitrous Oxide Inhalation in Unmedicated Adults With OCD: Proof of Concept
Stanford Presenter: Peter van Roessel, MD, PhD