UF’s Murphy awarded two grants

Tanya K. Murphy, M.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Florida College of Medicine, has won two grants to further her research investigating how certain infections may influence Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder in children.

Murphy was chosen by the national Tourette Syndrome Association to receive $71,254 to search for signs of cellular immune activation during episodes of symptom worsening in children with Tourette syndrome. The research could help determine whether common childhood infections play a role in the onset and maintenance of tic disorders, often characterized by involuntary twitching and/or muscle contractions.

She also received a 2002 Young Investigator Award of $60,000 from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. The grant will fund a project investigating whether immune activation caused by stress or illness may cause an increase of tics in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In both projects, Murphy will collaborate with John Sleasman, M.D., a UF professor of pediatrics, and Wayne Goodman, M.D., professor and chair of psychiatry. Murphy is a member of the Regional Scientific Advisory Board of the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation and the Medical Advisory Board of the national Tourette Syndrome Association.