Clinical Research Summary:

1- A primary area of research involves studying the interface between depression and cognitive impairment (DEP-CI) in the elderly from both a treatment and pathophysiological perspective. The work includes both NIH funded and investigator initiated, industry sponsored clinical treatment trials. Prospective studies, both active and recently completed in patients with DEP-CI, but not dementia, include examining: i) acute antidepressant treatment effects on mood and cognitive performance, ii) long-term antidepressant treatment effects on mood and likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), iii) both acute and long-term effects of antidepressants alone or in combination with the memory enhancing medication donepezil or memantine, on mood, cognitive performance, and likelihood of developing AD.

2- As a co-investigator: i) evaluating the sensitivity and specificity of clinical features, neuropsychological test results, and brain imaging abnormalities in predicting the development of AD in cognitively impaired patients who do not initially meet criteria for dementia; ii) evaluating both the acute and long-term usefulness of atypical antipsychotic medications in patients with behavioral dyscontrol and/or psychotic symptoms associated with AD; iii) evaluating [11C]-6-OH-BTA-1 (Pittsburgh compound B) during PET in patients with AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and healthy control subjects: to determine if CNS amyloid load correlates with cognitive performance at baseline and cognitive decline during follow-up.

3- Examining the role of the immune system in affective and neuropsychiatric disorders, including: i) examining the interface between peripheral catecholamines and the immune system by measuring cytokine plasma levels during an IV epinephrine challenge in healthy and depressed individuals; ii) Using O15 PET functional brain imaging, examining the effect of peripherally stimulating the immune system with IV Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the nature and time course of CNS blood flow changes.

4- Clinical psychopharmacology practice

Education and Training:

Undergraduate: University. of Pittsburgh, B.S., 1982
Medical School: Columbia University, MD, 1990
Internship: Yale University, Psychiatry, 1990 - 1991
Residency: Yale University, Psychiatry, 1991 - 1994
Fellowship: Yale University, Neuroscience, 1994 - 1996
Post-Graduate: New York State Psychiatric Institute GERIATRIC Psychiatry, Fellowship, 1999 - 2001
Board Certifications: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Subspeciality Certifications: Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry

Specialties:

• Geriatrics
• Behavioral Neurology
• Psychopharmacology