NNCI Synapse: Development of a Mobile Application to Disseminate Neuroscience Training to Medical Professionals

While biological models of mental illness once emphasized “chemical imbalances,” modern perspectives increasingly incorporate a more nuanced understanding of genetics and epigenetics, neurotransmitters and neuroplasticity, and the functional dynamics of neural circuits. Yet despite extraordinary advances in neuroscience that have dramatically enhanced our understanding of the brain and of the neurobiological basis of psychiatric illness, the field of psychiatry has been slow to integrate a robust neuroscience perspective into clinical practice. Most practicing psychiatrists trained in an era before the advent of modern neuroscience, and residency programs lack resources to create curricula on their own. This Fast-Track SBIR will leverage the resources and experience of the National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative (NNCI) to create and test NNCI Synapse: Where Learning Takes Place, a beautifully designed, intuitive mobile application that promotes self-directed learning for mental health professionals to initiate, customize, and complete innovative courses of self-study in clinical neuroscience. NNCI Synapse will reimagine the NNCI learning experience with the added utility, user experience, and convenience of a mobile platform. Content will include animated videos, audio podcasts, and case studies, with a strong focus on the use of narrative storytelling, and users will be awarded continuing education credits for learning activities. In Phase I, a pilot study will be conducted with psychiatrists (n=40) and will achieve the following aims: 1) develop a prototype of NNCI Synapse; and, 2) assess feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the product for a fully powered Phase II clinical trial. During this mixed methods pilot study, a pre-post study design will be used to explore changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes and semi-structured interviews will be conducted to gather data on feasibility and acceptability of NNCI Synapse for neuroscience education. Phase II will employ a randomized non-blinded prospective lagged start single crossover design with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and psychiatric nurses (n=100) and will achieve the following aims: 1) refine, expand, and finalize NNCI Synapse based on Phase I findings; 2) assess the effectiveness of NNCI Synapse in improving mental health professionals’ attitudes toward clinical neuroscience, understanding of core content, and ability to apply this content to clinical scenarios; and 3) determine whether improvements in outcomes are related to individuals’ patterns of use of NNCI Synapse. The research team is confident that users of NNCI Synapse will increase understanding of the biological underpinnings of psychiatric illnesses and their relevance to clinical work and will be better equipped with the knowledge and skills to communicate with patients about cutting edge discoveries in neuroscience. These gains will offer practitioners the opportunity to create a new dialogue with patients, their families, and other health care professionals about the cause and meaning of psychiatric symptoms.Despite extraordinary advances in neuroscience that have dramatically enhanced our understanding of the brain and the neurobiological basis of psychiatric illness, the field of psychiatry has been slow to integrate a robust neuroscience perspective into clinical practice. NNCI Synapse: Where Learning Takes Place will deliver a beautifully designed, intuitive mobile application that promotes self-directed learning for mental health professionals to initiate, customize, and complete innovative courses of self-study in clinical neuroscience. Users of NNCI Synapse will increase understanding of the biological underpinnings of psychiatric illnesses and their relevance to clinical work and will be better equipped with the knowledge and skills to communicate with patients about cutting edge discoveries in neuroscience.