Mission Statement
The overarching mission of the newly launched Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation (CMER) is to become an international leader in the advancement of research, education, and clinical services for individuals with Misophonia and difficulties regulating emotions. The Center is supported primarily by a 5-year commitment of funding from a major philanthropic donor, and is the only such Center in the United States. CMER could not have existed without many years of inspiring and tireless advocacy and support from Dr. Jennifer Brout and her team. What was once the Duke Sensory Processing and Emotion Regulation Program, founded by Dr. Brout to stimulate research in this area, now has matured into the Duke CMER. We are endlessly grateful to Dr. Brout and the many nameless donors who provided precious support to help us launch CMER. We are especially humbled by the anonymous and generous family who has graciously given the funding to begin CMER. We have a lot of work to do to advance the field and improve lives.
Our first research questions center around the key challenges identified at the 2018 Milken Institute retreat on Misophonia:
- What is Misophonia compared to other clinical phenomena?
- How can it be measured?
- What are the causes?
- What are the underlying neurobehavioral processes that can be targeted as objective endpoints for treatment?
Accordingly, initial research projects include:
- Development and validation of a new measure of Misophonia
- Pilot work exploring the acoustic properties of Misophonia trigger sounds
- Studies examining Misophonia as a phenotype compared to other conditions
In addition to initiating research, a goal in Year 1 is the establishment of a robust team, infrastructure, and multi-disciplinary international collaborations. We are grateful for this opportunity and excited to help lead research, education, and clinical service innovation for Misophonia.
Our Vision
For each person with Misophonia to reach his or her full potential, living a life of meaning, purpose, and without suffering.
Our multi-disciplinary strategies are outlined below:
