Research at North Carolina Neuropsychiatry

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North Carolina Neuropsychiatry was started as a research clinic at UNC in the 1970s. Ever since, the doctors at North Carolina Neuropsychiatry have been active in clinical research. You can review our publications and presentations on our website.

Some of our research has addressed technical points, of interest mainly to other scientists. However, some of our research has had an impact on day-to-day medical practice; for example, the neurological and the neurocognitive effects of various medications, the proper approach to diagnosis of mild brain injury, learning disabilities and ADD, and the very early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

When patients register at our clinic, they agree to participate in research by signing this statement:

What this means is that the clinical data we collect may be used by the doctors at NCNP for statistical analysis and publication in medical journals.

We take great pains to protect the privacy of our patients in all matters relating to medical records; whether these records are used for research or for clinical purposes. With respect to the patient data we use for research, please be assured that the information is completely de-identified; i.e., patients and patient's family members are identified only by code numbers.

Many patients come to our clinic because they know that our doctors are active researchers as well as clinicians. But it is possible that some people may not wish their data, even their de-identified data, to be a part of our research endeavors. We respect this point of view, even though we may not agree, and for that reason we make it easy for patients to withdraw their consent at any time. If, for any reason, you wish to rescind the permission you have given to us to use your clinical data in research, all you have to do is contact us directly by e-mail. Please press on the link below, and request that your data be deleted from all the relevant clinical research databases. (You do not have to explain your reason.) Your medical record, of course, will be maintained in our files, under the usual protections afforded to medical records under the HIPPA act.

As you know, we also do "clinical trials" at NCNP on the behalf of pharmaceutical companies, evaluating the efficacy of new medications, or the efficacy of old medications for new indications. This is an important part of our work and allows us to keep abreast of new developments in the field. It also allows us to provide patients who do not have resources to get comprehensive evaluations and long-term treatment. The consent process for clinical trials at NCNP, as at other clinics, is governed by the FDA and the pharmaceutical companies who sponsor the clinical trials, and an entirely separate consent process is involved.