Investigating the Therapeutic Benefits of Social Touch | Ishmail Abdus-Saboor | One Scientist's Mind

Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor explores how the sensation of touch travels from the skin to the brain, and how it might help treat mental illness. His research on pain, behavior, and the “biology of a hug” could pave the way for innovative therapies that use physical touch to reduce depression-like symptoms.

Chronic stress can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder where individuals have deficits ranging from an inability to engage in social interactions to anxiety and maladaptive fear. One approach that has been shown to relieve negative symptoms of chronic stress is social support.

2024 One Mind Rising Star Awardee Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor aims to isolate some of the stress-relieving benefits of social support by targeting neurons in the skin that are activated during social touch. By discovering molecules that could activate these social touch neurons in the skin, Dr. Abdus-Saboor aims to develop a therapeutic strategy in the peripheral nervous system that could provide relief from symptoms of chronic stress and potentially other psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University in the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. He is also a Freeman Hrabowski Scholar at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received a B.S. degree in Animal Science from North Carolina A&T State University in 2006 and a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012. Since opening his lab in 2018, the Abdus-Saboor lab has been generously supported by the NIH as well as ten other private foundations including Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Pew Charitable Trusts, McKnight Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Simons Foundation, United Negro College Fund, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Brain Research Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Rita Allen Foundation.

Watch Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor's live presentation from the 2024 Science & Innovation Symposium at the 31st One Mind Music Festival:    • Activating Neurons in the Skin to Relieve ...  

ABOUT ONE MIND
One Mind is the leading brain health nonprofit committed to healing the lives of people impacted by brain illness and injury through global, collaborative action. One Mind catalyzes visionary change through science, business, and media to dismantle stigma and discrimination and transform the world’s mental health. One Mind accelerates collaborative research and advocacy to enable all individuals facing brain health challenges to build healthy, productive lives.

FOLLOW ONE MIND
Facebook:   / onemindorg  
Instagram:   / onemindorg  
Twitter:   / onemindorg  
TikTok:   / onemindorg  
Website: https://onemind.org

#MentalHealth #Science #BrainHealthForAll #OneMind