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NNDC 2016 Conference
Poster Guidelines and Travel Awards
The NNDC Annual Conference will be held September 12-14, 2016 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown, in Denver, CO.
Poster presentations are strongly encouraged. All conference attendees are invited to submit a poster related to
depressions and bipolar illnesses, focusing on our theme of “Mood Disorders: Innovations in Research and
Collaboration”, in the categories of Innovations in Research and Innovations in Collaboration. In addition, all Young
Investigators are eligible to compete for travel awards (young investigators include: Graduate Students, fellows,
post-doctoral fellows, residents, and junior faculty within 5 years of fellowship or post-graduate appointment).
1. Posters will apply to one of these categories:
 Innovations in Research – All areas of research are encouraged, but Posters
detailing approaches (both biological and psychosocial) to the understanding of
mood disorders, new or repurposed treatments and technologies, or monitoring
strategies with the potential to improve patient outcomes are particularly
welcome.
 Innovations in Collaboration – Unified efforts are the best way to expedite
technological innovation, dissemination of new information, and translation of
research into clinical practice. Posters might showcase multidisciplinary
programs or demonstrate the efficacy of collaborations beyond academic
boundaries.
2. Abstracts must be submitted by July 15. Late abstracts will not be accepted.
3. Submit abstracts up to ½ page in length. See format example at the end of this notice.
4. Posters must be hung at the Sheraton Denver Downtown by 2:30 PM on September 13, and taken down by
noon on September 14.
5. Posters can be no larger than 36 inches high X 48 inches wide, and will be fastened to cork boards.
6. Two prizes will be awarded at the conference dinner on September 13. Posters will be judged from 5:00-6:30
PM on September 13 during the poster presentation and networking reception session. A $500 prize will be
given to the winning posters in both categories (one award per poster, with allocations to be determined by the
authors).
Travel Award Eligibility
Up to 10 travel grants will be awarded to exceptional poster abstracts submitted for the conference, with the potential
for additional awards as funds become available. Eligible applicants must be members of the NNDC at one of the 22
Center of Excellence sites or 3 Associate Member sites, AND be a young investigator. Grants of up to $1,000 can be used
to offset the cost of airfare, mileage, rental car, gas, lodging, ground transportation, baggage, and parking (as
applicable). Food is not an eligible expense, as meals are provided throughout the conference.
To Apply for a Travel Award
1. Complete the Young Investigator Travel Award Application.
2. Prepare an abstract related to the theme of the conference of up to ½ page in length (see format example at the
end of this notice).
3. Be first or last author on the poster
4. Belong to one of the following categories:
a. Graduate Students
b. Fellows
c. Post-Doctoral Fellows
d. Residents
e. Junior Faculty (within 5 years of fellowship or post-graduate appointment)
5. Request a brief letter of support from your program director/chair, an NNDC Board Member at your site, or your
mentor, and ask your letter writer to send it by email to Dane Larsen at dlarsen@nndc.org no later than July 15.
6. Submit the completed application form and abstract to Dane Larsen at dlarsen@nndc.org.
Applications will be reviewed by a panel of senior faculty, and applicants will be notified of the decision by late July.
To Qualify for Reimbursement
Submit receipts at the end of travel (no later than 5:00 PM September 30) to Dane Larsen at dlarsen@nndc.org
Or mail them to Dane Larsen, NNDC, 2350 Green Road Suite 191, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.
IMPORTANT DATES FOR ALL POSTER PRESENTERS
1. July 15 – Abstracts and complete Travel Award Applications will be accepted through July 15, 2015. Abstract
presentation acceptance will be based upon Program Committee review.
2. July 22 – Accepted Abstracts and Travel Grant Recipients will be notified of decision.
3. August 15 – Submit the final electronic version of your poster to dlarsen@nndc.org (required to be considered
for prize selection).
4. September 13 – Hang your poster by 2:00 PM in the Sheraton Denver Downtown.
5. September 14 – Take posters down by 12:00 PM. Posters will not be returned if left behind at the conference.
6. September 30 – Travel award recipients must submit travel receipts by 5:00 PM on September 30 eligible for
reimbursement.
Abstract Format Examples
(Example One)
Efficacy of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids in the treatment of depression: a hierarchical meta-analysis and
review of randomized controlled trials
John M. Davis M.D.2,Brian Hallahan M.R.C.Psych., M.D.,1 Timothy Ryan B.A.,2 Ivan T Murray M.R.C.Psych.,3 Shauna
Glynn M.R.C.Psych.,4 Christopher E. Ramsden M.D.,5 Joseph R. Hibbeln M.D.,5. 1 Department of Psychiatry, Clinical
Science Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland. 2 Psychiatric Institute, University of Illinois,
Chicago, Illinois, USA 3Department of Psychiatry, Roscommon County Hospital, Roscommon, Ireland 4 Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Services, Castlebar, Mayo, Ireland. 5 Section on Nutritional Neurosciences, LMBB, National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Background: Trials evaluating efficacy of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) in major depressive disorder
report discrepant findings. Aims: Establish reasons underlying presumably inconsistent findings among randomized
controlled trials (RCTs) of omega-3 HUFAs for depression and assess implications for further trials. Method: A systematic
bibliographic search of double-blind RCTs was conducted between January, 1980 and May, 2013 and a hierarchical
meta-analysis performed on 37 RCTs including 6862 participants receiving omega-3 HUFAs and 4569 participants
receiving placebo. Results: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) predominant formulations (>50% DHA) failed to improve
depression, (G=.03, p=.67) but among participants with diagnosed depression eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) predominant
formulations (>50% EPA) demonstrated considerable clinical benefits compared to placebo (Hedges G = 0.61; p
<0.000,000,2 whereas EPA failed to prevent depressive symptoms among populations at risk for depression. (G=0.07,
p=0.07) Conclusions: Further RCTs of adequate duration should be conducted on study populations with diagnosed or
clinically significant depression, using EPA predominant omega-3 HUFA formulations.
(Example Two)
EEG-based Graph Theoretical Measures as Biomarkers of Clinical Outcome in Electroconvulsive and Magnetic Seizure
Therapy
Zhi-De Deng, Ph.D., Shawn M. McClintock, Ph.D., M.Sc., Sarah H. Lisanby, M.D.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), the most efficacious treatment of pharmacoresistant depression, has been reported to
alter functional brain network architecture by down-regulating connectivity in frontotemporal circuits. Magnetic seizure
therapy (MST), which induces therapeutic seizures with high dose repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, has been
introduced to improve the seizure therapy risk/benefit ratio. Unfortunately, there is limited understanding of seizure
therapy’s underlying mechanisms of action. In this two-center, double-masked study, patients were randomized to
either ultrabrief pulse right unilateral ECT or circular coil MST. The study examined efficacy, neurocognitive outcome,
and brain network connectivity before and after the acute treatment course. Patients were considered responders if
they showed at minimum a 50% reduction in the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score. Fifty-nine
channel resting EEG was acquired at baseline and after the treatment course in 9 patients (3 responders) for 10 minutes
in the eyes opened condition. The 10-minute EEG recording was partitioned into 300 two-second epochs, and spectral
analysis was performed using multitaper Fourier transform. Functional connectivity was assessed using the debiased
weighted phase lag index (DWPLI), a measure of EEG phase synchronization. Brain network structure was assessed
based on graph theory measures: betweenness centrality, clustering coefficient, network density, and characteristic
path length. At baseline, responders and nonresponders exhibited similar DWPLI–frequency profile. There was a
significant post-treatment increase relative to baseline of the delta band DWPLI in the responders but not in
nonresponders (p<0.01). There was also a significant post treatment increase of the delta band network density in
responders compared to nonresponders (p=0.03). Our findings support the use of brain network measures based on
graph theoretical analysis of resting-state EEG as biomarkers of response to seizure therapy in severely depressed
patients. Indeed, graph theoretical analysis of the topological organization of functional brain networks may provide
insight into the pathophysiology of depression as well as mechanisms of therapies.
(Example Three)
The Use of Mood 24/7 in the Treatment of Major Depressive Episodes in the Outpatient Setting
Alison M. Riehm, B.S.1, Caroline Franke, B.A.1, Kristen A. Rahn, Ph.D.1,2, Adam I. Kaplin, M.D., Ph.D.1,2
1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
2. Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Traditionally, psychiatrists monitor the moods of their patients by retrospective recall during office visits and/or through
handwritten diaries kept by the patient in between office visits. These methods, however, are inaccurate, with diaries
having compliance rates of 11%, so reliance on these records in developing mood disorder treatment plans is erroneous
and potentially dangerous. Mood 24/7 was developed to overcome these issues and improve both the accuracy and
compliance of mood tracking. Mood 24/7 is a web-based technology that allows patients and their psychiatrists to track
their mood through daily SMS texts. After signing up online (www.mood247.com), patients receive a daily text message
prompt to their cellular phone asking for the patient to text back their mood on a scale of 1-10. Daily scores are charted
in a mood graph that can be viewed online. Adherence studies have demonstrated a nearly 8-fold increase in Mood 24/7
mood tracking compliance rates versus handwritten diary methods. The present study was designed to assess the
accuracy and validity of Mood 24/7 in tracking mood. Retrospective analyses were performed in an outpatient cohort
undergoing standard of care treatment for mood disorders at the Johns Hopkins Hospital to measure the relationship
between a patient’s self-reported Mood 24/7 rating, the psychiatrist’s blinded clinical mood assessment of that patient
during an office visit, and the patient’s standardized depression assessment score on the revised Hopkins Symptom
Checklist (SCL-90R). Mood 24/7 patient ratings significantly correlated with both the psychiatrist’s mood assessments
and their SCL-90 depression scores (n = 15; r=0.8215, P = 0.003 and r = -0.5733, P = 0.0203, respectively). Data collected
from a cohort of these patients was tracked over multiple days and office visits, and Mood 24/7 ratings and clinician
assessment data demonstrated a significant positive correlation (n=9, r= 0.83, p<0.0001). These findings support the
reliability and validity of using Mood 24/7, a web-based and cellular phone technology, to track mood in an outpatient
psychiatric setting.