Christine Rabinak, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, recently received a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Through research on tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), a marijuana extract, she studies potential medication targets in brain systems to improve the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many patients fail to respond to usual therapies for PTSD, and there is a need for research into areas of the brain that are involved in PTSD in order to develop new targeted interventions. Rabinak's earlier work showed that low doses of THC affect these areas of the brain and could be potentially useful in combination with other therapies. Her research includes brain imaging and measurement of electrical activity from skin in patients with PTSD as well as healthy volunteers. Rabinak is part of a growing group of WSU researchers working on various brain disorders, which has been identified as a key research priority, both at WSU and nationally.