Located on the 13th floor of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC), the N-CTRC consists of five bedrooms, two time-isolation suites, a nurses' station, a sleep recording control room, a treatment room, a study preparation area, and a patient lounge. N-CTRC Nursing personnel are available to conduct subject assessments, blood draws, subject monitoring during PET procedures, and other nursing functions. With the recent acquisition of a pupillometer, research concerning ocular response is now able to be conducted on the N-CTRC.

Since its inception, the N-CTRC has supported clinical research addressing a wide range of disease states, including traditional psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, dementia, eating disorders, and insomnia, as well as a broader range of diseases such as obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease.

Specific examples of innovative research protocols involving the N-CTRC include the following:

• Insomnia treatment in primary care settings
• Biobehavioral mechanisms of depression in women
  
• Sleep during menopause
  
• Positron emmission tomography (PET) studies investigating serotonin functionin anorexia and bulimia nervosa
  
• Effects of nicotine exposure on cerebral metabolism
• Functional neuroimaging studies of sleep in older adults
  
• Sleep and functional neuroimaging of prefrontal cortex function in schizophrenia
  
• Use of sleep deprivation to accelerate therapeutic response in late-life depression
  
• Interactions of sleep and circadian rhythms in young and older adults
  
• Role of sleep as a mediator of relationships between stress and health
  
• Neuropsychiatric effects of continuous positive airway pressure in obstructive sleep apnea