Dr. Vijay Mittal is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University. His research focuses on identifying and intervening in early stages of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, particularly in adolescents and young adults exhibiting high-risk syndromes. He employs cognitive neuroscience techniques, longitudinal studies, and neuroimaging to understand pathophysiology and develop targeted treatments. Key research areas include: Psychosis risk identification and prevention Motor, affective, and cognitive processing abnormalities Role of environmental stressors and stigma Developmental origins of psychosis His lab uses advanced methodologies such as neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG), behavioral assessments, and computational modeling to investigate mechanisms underlying psychosis. Notable projects include the Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia Program, a global cohort study. Publications highlight contributions to understanding hippocampal morphology, exercise interventions in high-risk populations, and racial biases in computational psychiatry. His work emphasizes early detection and translational approaches to improve patient outcomes.
