The Friedman Brain Institute is proud to present the 11th issue of the FBI Informant. The Informant is a triennial newsletter highlighting announcements and events for basic and clinical neuroscience at Mount Sinai. The purpose of riedman rain nstitute the Informant is to keep everyone abreast of all that is going on in and out of the F B I labs and clinics that comprise the Friedman Brain Institute, as well as acknowledge those individuals responsible for its success. In addition to sharing the information, our hope is that the Informant can be used as a tool to inspire, informant congratulate, and support one another.
Announcements
Dr. Rita Goldstein and Dr. Alia-Klein (Psychiatry) Co-Chief’s of NARC (Neuropsychoimaging of Addiction and Related Conditions) Research Program • We are pleased to announce that Dr. Goldstein has accepted the position of Director of the Friedman Brain Institute’s neuroimaging center, Brain Imaging Core (BIC). Dr. Goldstein is world-renowned for her neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies in drug addiction. We look forward to an exciting new era of neuroimaging at Mount Sinai. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Goldstein on her new role. • Nelly Alia-Klein, PhD is an invited panelist by the National Academies for the panel on Brain Disorders, Drugs, Psychopathy, and Violence: What are the Links? At the Institute of Medicine’s 2013 Annual Meeting entitled, The Science of Violence: Causation, Mitigation, and Prevention. • Congratulations to Anna B Konova, MA on receiving the Stony Brook University GSO Distinguished Travel Award, 2013. • Congratulations to Scott J. Moeller, PhD on receiving two travel awards this summer: one to attend the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) and one to attend the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). • NARC is gearing up to launch its imaging protocol in the new state-of-the-art Translational and Molecular Imaging Institute within the Hess Center for Science and Medicine. Our subjects’ testing will be conducted in the KCC (neuropsychology including CANTAB tests, EEG/ERPs and Brain Computer Interface experiments, rTMS, clinical/ diagnostic interviews) and CSM (fMRI, PET-MRI). • Federico d'Oleire Uquillas, one of NARC's Clinical Research Coordinators, has been elected to the executive board for the Sinai Neuroscience Outreach Program (SNOP). • New group members include Rebecca Preston-Campbell, PhD who joined the laboratory as a Post- Doctoral Fellow in August. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Hofstra University, with her clinical background strongly rooted in evidence-based treatment modalities, specifically cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness based approaches. She received training at the New York State Psychiatric Institute within the Columbia University Medical Center studying sex differences in behaviors related to cocaine and alcohol use disorders in various groups of men and women, including current cocaine and/or alcohol users. Her research interests concentrate on factors involved in impaired self-regulatory behaviors that are often implicated in the development and maintenance of substance use and impulse control disorders. Recent Publications: • Volkow ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ, Telang F, Fowler JS, Goldstein RZ, Alia-Klein N, Wong C, Swanson JM, Shumay E. (2013). Association between dopamine D4 receptor polymorphism and age related changes in brain glucose metabolism. PLoS One, 8(5):e63492.(1-3):178-85. Publications continued...
1 Dr. Rita Goldstein and Dr. Alia-Klein continued... Recent Publications: • Moeller SJ, Parvaz MA, Shumay E, Beebe-Wang N, Konova AB, Alia-Klein N, Volkow ND, Goldstein RZ. (2013). Gene x abstinence effects on drug cue reactivity in addiction: multimodal evidence. Journal of Neuroscience, 33 (24):10027–1003. • Moeller SJ, Beebe-Wang N, Woicik PA, Konova AB, Maloney T, Goldstein RZ. (2013). Choice to view cocaine images predicts concurrent and prospective drug use in cocaine addiction. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 1;130 (1-3):178-85. • Konova AB, Moeller SJ, Tomasi D, Volkow ND, Goldstein RZ. (2013). Effects of methylphenidate on resting-state functional connectivity of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathways in cocaine addiction. JAMA Psychiatry, 1;70 (8):857-68. • Gkirtzou K, Honorio J, Samaras D, Goldstein RZ, Blaschko MB. (2013). fMRI analysis of cocaine addiction using k-support sparsity. IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging. • Gkirtzou K, Honorio J, Samaras D, Goldstein RZ, Blaschko MB. (2013). fMRI Analysis with Sparse Weisfeiler- Lehman Graph Statistics. In Proc MICCAI (MLMI workshop), accepted.
Asbell Lab (Ophthalmology)
Congratulations to Dr. Asbell on becoming the Editor in Chief of Eye & Contact Lens - Science and clinical pracatice; Journal of the CLAO (Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists)
Buxbaum Lab (Psychiatry)
Recent Publications: • Soorya L, Kolevzon A, Zweifach J, Lim T, Dobry Y, Schwartz L, Frank Y, Wang AT, Cai G, Parkhomenko E, Halpern D, Grodberg D, Angarita B, Willner JP, Yang A, Canitano R, Chaplin W, Betancur C, Buxbaum JD. Prospective investigation of autism and genotype-phenotype correlations in 22q13 deletion syndrome and SHANK3 deficiency. Mol Autism. 2013 Jun 11;4(1): 18. • Betancur C, Buxbaum JD. SHANK3 haploinsufficiency: a "common" but underdiagnosed highly penetrant monogenic cause of autism spectrum disorders. Mol Autism. 2013 Jun 11;4(1):17. • Schafer CM, Campbell NG, Cai G, Yu F, Makarov V, Yoon S, Daly MJ, Gibbs RA, Schellenberg GD, Devlin B, Sutcliffe JS, Buxbaum JD, Roeder K. Whole exome sequencing reveals minimal differences between cell line and whole blood derived DNA. Genomics. 2013 Jun 3. [Epub ahead of print] • Smith RG, Reichenberg A, Kember RL, Buxbaum JD, Schalkwyk LC, Fernandes C, Mill J. Advanced paternal age is associated with altered DNA methylation at brain-expressed imprinted loci in inbred mice: implications for neuropsychiatric disease. Mol Psychiatry. 2013 Jun;18(6):635-6. • Noh HJ, Ponting CP, Boulding HC, Meader S, Betancur C, Buxbaum JD, Pinto D, Marshall CR, Lionel AC, Scherer SW, Webber C. Network topologies and convergent aetiologies arising from deletions and duplications observed in individuals with autism. PLoS Genet. 2013 Jun;9(6):e1003523. Epub 2013 Jun 6. • Buxbaum JD, Baron-Cohen S. DSM-5: the debate continues. Mol Autism. 2013 May 15;4(1):11. • Ionita-Laza I, Lee S, Makarov V, Buxbaum JD, Lin X. Sequence Kernel Association Tests for the Combined Effect of Rare and Common Variants. Am J Hum Genet. 2013 May 14. [Epub ahead of print] • Bozdagi O, Tavassoli T, Buxbaum JD. Insulin-like growth factor-1 rescues synaptic and motor deficits in a mouse model of autism and developmental delay. Mol Autism. 2013 Apr 27;4(1):9. 2
2 Clem Lab (Neuroscience)
Congratulations to Dr. Clem on receiving the highly celebrated 2013 BBRF Young Investigator Grant!
Recent publication: • Clem RL, Huganir RL. Norepinephrine Enhances a Discrete Form of Long-Term Depression during Fear Memory Storage. J Neurosci. 2013 Jul 17;33(29):11825-32.
Ehrlich-Gandy Labs (Neurology)
Recent Publication: • Gandy S, Heppner FL. Microglia as dynamic and essential components of the amyloid hypothesis. Neuron. 2013 May 22;78(4):575-7. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron. 2013.05.007.
Filizola Lab (Structural and Chemical Biology)
• The Filizola lab welcomes summer student Robert Colef from New York University.
• Dr. Filizola serves as an external examiner for the PhD thesis defense of student Klara Felsovalyi from Columbia University.
• Dr. Filizola becomes a regular member of the Biophysics of Neural Systems (BPNS) Study Section, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health.
• Dr. Filizola becomes an Advisory Board Member for the Center for Therapeutic Antibody Development (CTAD) of the Experimental Therapeutics Institute at Mount Sinai.
• Recent PNAS publication in collaboration with the Devi lab receives media coverage; http://medicalxpress.com/ news/2013-07-chemical-compound-alternative-opioid-pain.html
• Dr. Filizola edits a book entitled “G Protein-Coupled Receptor Modeling and Simulation” for Springer Science + Business Media. The book includes state-of-the-art views on modeling and simulation by recognized experts with an established reputation in the development and/or application of computational methods to G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs), the targets for as many as half of currently marketed drugs. Expected publication date of the book is September 2013, and each individual chapter will be indexed in Pubmed.
Recent Publications: • Gomes I, Fujita W, Gupta A, Saldanha AS, Negri A, Pinello CE, Roberts E, Filizola M, Hodder P, and Devi LA “Identification of a µOR-δOR heteromer-biased agonist with antinociceptive activity” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (2013) 110(29):12072-7. • G Protein-Coupled Receptors – Modeling and Simulation; Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology series; Publisher: Springer; Editor: Marta Filizola; in press. • Johnston, J.M. and Filizola, M. “Beyond Standard Molecular Dynamics: Investigating the Molecular Mechanisms of G Protein-Coupled Receptors with Enhanced Molecular Dynamics Methods” In: G Protein-Coupled Receptors – Modeling and Simulation ; Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology series; Publisher: Springer; Editor: Marta Filizola; in press.
3 Dr. Sophia Frangou (Psychiatry)
The Psychosis Research Program welcomes three new members: Dr. Danai Dima, Ms. Arriella Carlin and Mr. Alexander Rasgon.
*New* Psychosis Research Club The Psychosis Research Program is starting a new bimonthly club beginning on September 19th. The Club will present and highlight key advances in psychosis research that point to new ways in patients' diagnosis and treatment.
Join us for our inaugural meeting: When: September 19th, 2013 at 11AM Where: Room 11-84, 11th floor Icahn Medical Institute
Recent Publications: • Rocha-Rego V, Jogia J, Marquand AF, Mourao-Miranda J, Simmons A, Frangou S.Examination of the predictive value of structural magnetic resonance scans in bipolar disorder: a pattern classification approach. Psychol Med. 2013 Jun 5:1-14. • Papachristou E, Ormel J, Oldehinkel AJ, Kyriakopoulos M, Reinares M, Reichenberg A, Frangou S. Child Behavior Checklist—Mania Scale (CBCL-MS): Development and Evaluation of a Population-Based Screening Scale for Bipolar Disorder. PLOS ONE doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069459
Grice Lab (Psychiatry)
Recent publication: • Ozomaro U, Cai G, Kajiwara Y, Yoon S, Makarov V, Delorme R, Betancur C, Ruhrmann S, Falkai P, Grabe HJ, Maier W, Wagner M, Lennertz L, Moessner R, Murphy DL, Buxbaum JD, Züchner S, Grice DE. Characterization of SLITRK1 Variation in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 21;8(8):e70376. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070376.
Hof Lab (Neuroscience)
• Dr Hof was recently interviewed by the BBC for a TV show on animal cognition scheduled to air in the Fall. He discussed his work on the evolution on the mammalian nervous system and particularly the relationship of cortical adaptation to life in specific ecological niches in aquatic and terrestrial species.
• Congratulations to Danae Papapetrou who successfully defended her PhD thesis in July. Danae was co- mentored by Drs. Hof and Buxbaum. We wish her all the best for her future endeavors!
Recent publications: • Bianchi S, Stimpson CD, Duka T, Larsen MD, Janssen WGM, Collins Z, Bauernfeind AL, Schapiro SJ, Baze WB, McArthur MJ, Hopkins WD, Wildman DE, Lipovich L, Kuzawa CW, Jacobs B, Hof PR, Sherwood CC (2013) Synaptogenesis and development of pyramidal neuron dendritic morphology in the chimpanzee neocortex resembles humans. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 110, 10395-10401. • Gu X, Hof PR, Friston KL. Fan J (2013) Anterior insular cortex and emotional awareness. J. Comp. Neurol. 521, 3371-3388. • Höistad M, Heinsen H, Wicinski B, Schmitz C, Hof PR(2013) Stereological assessment of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in schizophrenia: absence of changes in neuronal and glial densities. Neuropathol. Appl. Neurobiol. 39, 348-361. • Bongaarts AL, Hyde TM, Dalley RA, Hawrylycz MJ, Henry A, Hof PR., Hohmann J, Jones AR, Kuan CL, Royall J, Shen E, Swanson B, Zeng H, Kleinmann JE (in press) Altered gene expression in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of individuals with schizophrenia. Mol. Psychiatry.
4 Maeso Lab (Psychiatry) Recent Publications: • Gatch MB, Kozlenkov A, Huan RQ, Yang W, Nguyen JD, González-Maeso J, Rice KC, France CP, Dillon GH, Forster MJ, Schetz JA. The HIV antiretroviral drug efavirenz has LSD-like properties. Neuropsychopharmacology (2013) Epub ahead of print.
• Moreno JL, González-Maeso J. Preclinical models of antipsychotic drug action. The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2013) Epub ahead of print.
Mobbs Lab (Neuroscience)
Congratulations to Esther Kim for winning the 2013 Dr. Milton Brothers Memorial Award for Excellence in Endocrinology.
Morishita Lab (Psychiatry)
Recent Publication: • Cabungcal JH, Steullet P, Morishita H, Kraftsik R, Cuenod M, Hensch TK, Do KQ. Perineuronal nets protect fast-spiking interneurons against oxidative stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 May 28;110(22):9130-5.
Nestler Lab (Neuroscience)
• Congratulations to Elizabeth Heller who was recently awarded a 2013 ACNP (American College of Neuropharmacology) Travel Award.
• Congratulations to Jian Feng, a postdoc fellow in the Nestler lab, on receiving the highly celebrated 2013 BBRF Young Investigator Grant!
• Dr. Feng’s presentation entitled “Role of TET1 and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in cocaine action" was selected as a Neuroscience 2013’s "Hot Topic" at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. The Society will distribute the study summary to the media prior to the annual meeting through a Hot Topics book and the Neuroscience 2013’s online press room.
Paisán-Ruiz Lab (Neurology)
Recent Publications: • Krebs KE, Karkheiran S, Powell JC, Cao M, Makarov V, Darvish H, Di Paolo G, Walker RH, Shahidi GA, Buxbaum JD, De Camilli P, Yue Z, and Paisán-Ruiz C. The Sac1 domain of SYNJ1 identified mutated in a family with early-onset progressive parkinsonism with generalized seizures. Hum Mutat. (Rapid communication). Hum Mutat 2013. Jun 26. DOI: 10.1002/humu.22372 • Kruer MC, Jepperson T, Dutta S, Steiner RD, Sanford L, Merkens M, Russman BS, Blasco, PA, Fan G, Pollock J, Stanfield S, Woltjer RL, Mooney C, Kretzschmar D, Paisán-Ruiz C*, and Houlden H*. Mutations in gamma adducin are associated with inherited cerebral palsy. Ann Neurol. 2013 Jul 9. doi: 10.1002/ana.23971.
5 Mercedes Perez-Rodriguez, MD, PhD (Psychiatry)
Honors and Awards • Selected to participate in the University of Michigan’s 2013 Training course in fMRI.
• Travel Award Fellowship, 2013 Workshop on Clinical Trials in Psychopharmacology, American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
• Congratulations to Dr. Mercedes Perez-Rodriguez on receiving the highly celebrated 2013 BBRF Young Investigator Grant!
• 2013 Mount Sinai GME Research Day Best Clinical Research Poster “Examining the Genetic Underpinnings of the Amygdala Habituation Deficit in Borderline Personality Disorder”
Recent Publications: • New AS, aan het Rot M, Ripoll LH, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Lazarus S, Zipursky E, Weinstein SR, Koenigsberg HW, Hazlett EA, Goodman M, Siever LJ. Empathy and alexithymia in borderline personality disorder: clinical and laboratory measures. J Pers Disord. 2012;26(5):660-75 • New AS, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Ripoll LH. Neuroimaging and Borderline Personality Disorder. Psychiatric Annals, 2012;42(2):65-71 • Riaza Bermudo-Soriano C, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Vaquero-Lorenzo C, Baca-Garcia E. New perspectives in glutamate and anxiety. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2012;100(4):752-74.
Upcoming publications: • Mahon K, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Gunawardane, N, Burdick, KE, Dimensional Endophenotypes in Bipolar Disorder: Affective Dysregulation and Psychosis Proneness. Journal of Affective Disorders, in press. • Ripoll LH, Zaki J, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Snyder R, Strike KS, Boussi A, Bartz JA, Ochsner KN, Siever LJ, New AS. Empathic accuracy and cognition in schizotypal personality disorder. Psychiatry Research, in press. • Zisook S, Anzia J, Atri A, Baroni A, Clayton P, Haller E, Lomax JW, Mann JJ, Oquendo MA, Pato M, Perez- Rodriguez MM, Prabhakar D, Sen S, Thrall G, Yaseen ZS. Teaching Evidence-Based Approaches to Suicide Risk Assessment and Prevention that Enhance Psychiatric Training. Compr Psychiatry, in press
Schaefer Lab (Neuroscience)
• Congratulations to Dr. Scheafer on receiving the great honor of being selected as Associate Scientific Advisor for Science Translational Medicine, USA.
• The Schaefer lab would like to welcome Pinar Ayata (Postdoc) and Miriam Akeju (PREP student). Pinar received her PhD from The Rockefeller University in June 2013, where she made the surprising discovery that the protein causing Rett syndrome, MeCP2, binds to 5- hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), and that the associated mutation in MeCP2 leads to a preferential inhibition of 5hmC binding (recently published in Cell). Miriam, a recent graduate of Columbia University, received her Bachelor's degree in chemistry. She is a current participant in Mount Sinai's Post- Baccalaureate Research Education Program, and is interested in pursuing a PhD program in cellular and molecular biology.
6 Shen Lab (Neuroscience)
The Shen lab welcomes a new member: Immanuel Purushothaman. Immanuel comes from Arizona State with a master's degree in biotechnology. He is their new bioinformatician.
Recent Publications: • Shen L, Shao N-Y, Liu X, Maze I, Feng J, et al. (2013) diffReps: Detecting Differential Chromatin Modification Sites from ChIP-seq Data with Biological Replicates. PLoS ONE 8(6): e65598. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065598 • Shen, L., Choi, I., Nestler, E.J. and Won, K.-J. (2013) Human Transcriptome and Chromatin Modifications: An ENCODE Perspective, Genomics Inform, 11, 60-67.
Simonyan Lab (Neurology)
The Simonyan Lab welcomes Dr. Stefan Fuertinger. Dr. Fuertinger is a mathematician who graduated from the Karl-Franzens University in Graz, Austria, and will work on realistic and simulated brain networks controlling normal and disordered speech production.
Congratulations to Kristina Simonyan, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Otolaryngology, who received a prestigious “Editors’ Choice” award for her recent article in the April issue of NeuroImage, entitled: “Speech-induced striatal dopamine release is left lateralized and coupled to functional striatal circuits in healthy humans: A combined PET, fMRI and DTI study”. The study provides the first evidence for endogenous dopamine release in the ventromedial portion of the dorsal striatum during normal speaking, which establishes a significant relationship with neural activity in this region and influences the left-hemispheric lateralization of striatal functional but not structural networks. These data point to the possible mechanisms behind the modulatory influences of dopamine on the organization of functional brain circuits controlling normal human speech and lay a foundation for the studies investigating speech-related dopaminergic abnormalities in patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Simonyan K, Herscovitch P, Horwitz B. Speech-induced striatal dopamine release is left lateralized and coupled to functional striatal circuits in healthy humans: A combined PET, fMRI and DTI study. Neuroimage. 2013 Apr 15;70:21-32. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.042. Epub 2012 Dec 28.
Zachariou Lab (Neuroscience)
The Zachariou lab welcomes two new postdocs: Fiona Carr and Giannina Descalzi
Fiona completed her PhD in Neuroscience in the lab of Professor Stephen Hunt, University College London, UK. Her work investigated the role of brainstem to spinal cord signalling in chronic pain states.
Giannina completed her graduate work at the University of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. Giannina’s primary interest is the neurobiology of experience induced changes to neuronal activity. Her PhD studies focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of chronic pain and fear learning. Her work determined downstream targets of cortical NMDA receptor activity during fear learning, and identified rapid changes in cortical necessary for long term memory formation. Giannina has also helped characterize cortical cellular mechanisms involved in chronic pain development and maintenance. Giannina is thrilled to be joining Dr. Zachariou’s lab at the Friedman Brain Institute and is looking forward to living in New York.
7 Junqian Xu (Radiology / TMII)
• Dr. Xu was an invited speaker at the 19th annual meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) in Seattle, WA about the “Data Acquisition on the WU-Minn 3T Human Connectome Project (HCP) Skyra.”
• Dr. Xu was awarded a two-year research scholar grant by the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research & Education Foundation to develop human whole spinal cord functional assessment techniques using advanced magnetic resonance imaging.
Recent Publications: • Smith SM, Andersson J, Auerbach EJ, Beckmann CF, Bijsterbosch J, Douaud G, Duff E, Feinberg DA, Griffanti L, Harms MP, Kelly M, Laumann T, Miller KL, Moeller S, Petersen S, Power J, Salimi-Khorshidi G, Snyder AZ, Vu A, Woolrich MW, Xu J, Yacoub E, Ugurbil K, Van Essen D, Glasser MF; WU-Minn HCP Consortium. Resting-state fMRI in the Human Connectome Project. NeuroImage, 80, 144-68, 2013 [special issue on “Mapping the Connectome”] • Sotiropoulos SN, Jbabdi S, Xu J, Andersson JL, Moeller S, Auerbach EJ, Glasser MF, Hernandez M, Sapiro G, Jenkinson M, Feinberg DA, Yacoub E, Lenglet C, Van Essen DC, Ugurbil K, Behrens TE; WU-Minn HCP Consortium. Advances in diffusion MRI acquisition and processing in the Human Connectome Project. NeuroImage, 80, 125-43, 2013 [special issue on “Mapping the Connectome”] • Glasser MF, Sotiropoulos SN, Wilson JA, Coalson TS, Fischl B, Andersson JL, Xu J, Jbabdi S, Webster M, Polimeni JR, Van Essen DC, Jenkinson M; WU-Minn HCP Consortium. The Minimal Preprocessing Pipelines for the Human Connectome Project. NeuroImage, 80, 105-24, 2013 [special issue on “Mapping the Connectome”] • Ugurbil K, Xu J, Auerbach EJ, Moeller S, Vu A, Duarte-Carvajalino JM, Lenglet C, Wu X, Schmitter S, Van de Moortele PF, Strupp J, Sapiro G, De Martino F, Wang D, Harel N, Garwood M, Chen L, Feinberg DA, Smith SM, Miller KL, Sotiropoulos SN, Jbabdi S, Andersson JL, Behrens TE, Glasser MF, Van Essen D, Yacoub E; WU-Minn HCP Consortium. Pushing spatial and temporal resolution for functional and diffusion weighted imaging in the Human Connectome Project. NeuroImage, 80, 80-104, 2013 [special issue on “Mapping the Connectome”] • Naismith RT, Xu J, Klawiter EC, Lancia S, Tutlam N, Wagner J, Qian P, Trinkaus K, Song S-K, Cross AH. Spinal cord tract diffusion tensor imaging reveals disability substrate in demyelinating disease. Neurology, 80, 2201-9, 2013 • Auerbach EJ, Xu J, Yacoub E, Moeller S, Ugurbil K. Multi-band accelerated spin-echo echo planar imaging with reduced peak RF power using time-shifted RF pulses. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 69, 1261-7, 2013 • Xu J, Shimony JS, Klawiter EC, Snyder AZ, Trinkaus K, Naismith RT, Benzinger TLS, Cross AH, Song SK. Improved in vivo diffusion tensor imaging of human cervical spinal cord. NeuroImage, 67, 64-76, 2013
Welcome New Faculty to the Neuroscience Department:
Dr. Fatemeh (Vicky) Haghighi, PhD, Associate Professor
Dr. Haghighi comes from Columbia University and has established a national and international reputation for her cutting-edge research on epigenetics in the nervous system, specifically, on DNA methylation and its relationship to gene sequence variations. Importantly, her laboratory examines these crucial cellular processes within the context of neuropsychiatric disorders, with a goal toward an improved understanding of the pathophysiology of brain diseases as well as improved diagnostics and treatments.
Dr. Haghighi's office will be located in Icahn Building room 10-70D and part of her research will be performed at the Bronx VA. Please stop by to welcome her and make yourself available as she starts off on her new journey at Sinai.
8 Promotions:
George Huntley, PhD Congratulations to Dr. Huntley on his promotion from Associate Professor to Professor in the Department of Neuroscience.
Paula Croxson, PhD Congratulations to Dr. Croxson on her promotion to Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience.
Michelle Jacobs, PhD Congratulations to Dr. Jacobs on her promotion to Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology.
New Grants:
PI Agency Title/Description
Penny A. Asbell, Opthmal NIH Dry Eye Evaluation and Management (DREAM) Study
Deanna Benson, NEU M. J. Fox Fndn LRRK2 regulation of sypnatogenesis
Katherine Burdick, PSY BRANY MOSIAC: The management of Schizophrenia in Clinical Practice Protocol: ML28264 Katherine Burdick, PSY NIH Targeting Circadian and Cognitive Dysfunction in Bipolar Disorder with Modafinil Katherine Burdick, PSY NIH Understanding the Neurocognitive Heterogeneity in Bipolar Disorder
Silvia De Rubeis, PSY Seaver Fndn Investigating the Role of CHD8, a Susceptibility Gene for Autism, in Neural Stem Cells Proliferation and Differentiation
Patrizia Casaccia, NEU NMSS Defining the microbiome in a stratified population of multiple sclerosis patients
Michelle E. Ehrlich, NEUROL R01 NS081282 Dopamine D1 receptor in mouse models of primary dystonia
Joseph Friedman, PSY RFMH A Pilot Study of Early Cognitive And Brain Imaging Changes Associated With Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease
Marta Filizola, Struct & Chem NIH ”Integrin αIIbβ3 Structure, Activation, and Ligand Binding” to Biology continue to provide structural and dynamics insights into αIIbβ3 structure-function aimed at designing improved anti-thrombotics
Shih-Chen Fu, PSY Seaver Fndn Functional Genomic Analysis for Dissecting Molecular Mechanisms in Autistic Disorders
Wayne Goodman, PSY Simons Fndn A Clinical Pilot Study Examining Bilateral Inhibition of the Lateral Habenula as a Target for Deep Brain Stimulation in Intractable Depression
Fatemeh Haghighi, NEU NIH Neurodevelopmental Profiling of the Epigenome in Human and Rhesus Fatemeh Haghighi, NEU ASFP Neuronal DNA Methylation Signatures of the Suicide Brain
Vahram Haroutunian, PSY NIH Mount Sinai NIH Brain and Tissue Repository (NBTR)
9 New Grants (continued):
PI Agency Title/Description
Thomas Hildebrandt, PSY NIH Supplement - Brain aromatase availability in steroid users: PET studies with [11C]vorozole Brian Iacoviello, PSY NIH A Novel Cognitive Training Intervention for Depression Matilde Inglese, NEUROL National MS A 7 Tesla MRI post-mortem study of gray matter lesions in MS Society Dan Iosifescu, PSY Weill Cornell Specificity and Validity of Oxidative Stress Model of Chronic Medical College Fatigue Syndrome Dan Iosifescu, PSY Mass. General New, Rapidly Acting Treatments for Treatment Resistant Hospital Depression (RAPID): LFMS Project (Task Order #2) Michelle Jacobs, NEUROL NIH Dopamine Neurobiology in HIV-Associated Cognitive Dysfunction and Substance Use
Gareth John, NEUROL TEVA Pharm. Neuroprotective Actions of Laquinimod in Alzheimer’s Disease Models Alexander Kolevzon, PSY NIMH Piloting Treatment with Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Charles Mobbs, NEU Experimental 4D Technology Development Therapeutics Inst. John Morrison, NEU PPG Estrogen and the Aging Brain (Admin. Supplement)
James Murrough, PSY Avanir Pharm. Targeting the NMDA Glutamate Receptor as a Novel Antidepressant Strategy: A Pilot Clinical Trial of Nuedexta in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression James Murrough, PSY DDCF Ketamine Plus Lithium as a Novel Pharmacotherapeutic Strategy in Treatment-Resistant Depression Eric Nestler, NEU Hope for Depression Molecular Basis of Depression: Longitudinal Studies Christopher Poultney, PSY Seaver Fndn Copy Number Variation in Autism Ronald Rieder, PSY NIMH Combined Psychiatry Residency and PhD Training at Mt. Sinai Panagiotis Roussos, PSY APA Genetic influence on gene expression in schizophrenia Scott Russo, NEU Janssen Research Effectiveness of Peripheral Treatment of Susceptive Mice with II-6 Antibodies in the Social Defeat Stress Model Michael Silverman, PSY NICHD The Epidemiology of Postpartum Depression and Associated Childhood Outcomes Paul Slesinger , NEU NIH-NIDA Cell-based Neurotransmitter Fluorescent Engineered Reporters Teresa Tavassoli, PSY ASF Sensory Reactivity in monogenetic and idiopathic forms of Autism Spectrum Disorder Paige Weinger, PSY Autism Speaks Early-Stage Visual Processing in ASD: Neuropsychological Biomarkers Using Visual Evoked Potentials Xu Junqian, Radiology RSNA Development of Whole Spinal Cord Functional Assessment with Multiband Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Zhenyu Yue, NEUROL NIH Neuronal Autophagy: a Cell-Autonomous Protection Mechanism Zhenyu Yue, NEUROL NIH Molecular Mechanism of LRRK2 Biology and Pathology in Parkinson's10 Disease
10 2013 Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Young Investigator Awards
Roger L. Clem, PhD, (Neuroscience) Dr. Clem will examine how emotional memory alters synaptic transmission in the amygdala in mice exposed to fear conditioning. The amygdala is a brain area critical for anxiety-related disorders such as PTSD. Dr. Clem will investigate the role of the molecule mGlu1 in regulating fear memory by reducing amygdala synaptic strength, and whether fear attenuation can be augmented with mGlu1-activating medications.
Jian Feng, PhD, (Neuroscience) Dr. Feng will use a mouse model of depression to explore the hypothesis that a gene called TET1 and a novel “epigenetic” regulation of DNA play a crucial role in mediating major mood disorders such as depression. (Epigenetic changes are changes in gene expression that do not alter DNA sequence.) This research may provide new targets for depression treatment.
Margaret McNamara McClure, PhD, (Psychiatry) Dr. McNamara McClure will examine the effectiveness of a combined psychological and pharmacological intervention for the treatment of cognitive deficits of individuals with the schizophrenia spectrum disorder schizotypal personality disorder. Specifically, she will examine the effect of computerized cognitive remediation therapy, as well as group- based skills training sessions, when paired with the agent guanfacine, which specifically targets the noradrenergic system in the dorsolateral prefrontal cotrex. Changes on assessments of both cognitive performance and performance-based skills assessments of real-world functioning will be examined.
Maria De Las Mercedes Perez Rodriguez, M.D., PhD, (Psychiatry) Dr. Mercedes Perez-Rodriguez, MD, PhD, has been awarded a Brain and Behavior Research Foundation 2013 NARSAD Young Investigator Award as PI of the proposal “Neuroimaging Endophenotypes In Patients With Bipolar Disorder And Unaffected Siblings”. This proposal expands the endophenotype strategy to examine neural abnormalities in bipolar disorder using multi-modal neuroimaging techniques (DTI and fMRI) and tests the hypotheses that these are present in unaffected siblings and are associated with particular neurocognitive deficits such as affective processing bias. This proposal builds on data from our group at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (PI:Kate E. Burdick) exploring neurocognitive impairment as a potential endophenotype in bipolar disorder.
Amanda C. Mitchell, PhD, (Psychiatry) Dr. Mitchell will study higher order chromatin looping interactions involving non-coding DNA sequences epigenetically decorated with H3K4me3 sites using genome wide derivatives of chromosome conformation capture (3C). She will specially target significant intergenic schizophrenia associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the long time implicated MHC region of chromosome six. Changes in epigenetic regulation at these loci may underlie susceptibility for schizophrenia.
Panagiotis Roussos, M.D., PhD, (Psychiatry) Dr. Roussos will conduct a multi-scale integration of high dimensional datasets [genomic; brain tissue expression quantitative trait loci, cis-regulatory elements annotations], combined with gene coexpression network analysis to identify putative causal SNPs, genes and subnetworks for schizophrenia. The central hypothesis is that a significant proportion of schizophrenia risk genetic variants affect gene expression through allele-specific alterations in cis regulatory elements. Putative causal genes will cluster in specific gene coexpression subnetworks where abnormalities have been found in schizophrenia.
Eli A. Stahl, PhD, (Psychiatry) Eli Stahl, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, received a NARSAD Young Investigator award to support the development of a translational research program in the area of clinical risk prediction, with mentors Pamela Sklar, MD, PhD, and Shaun Purcell, PhD. Eli will continue (with others in the Division of Psychiatric Genomics) to develop genomic predictors of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, integrating common and rare genetic variation from single nucleotide to large copy number variants, and eventually functional genomic and imaging data. The first application will be to test early psychotic episode patients for their risk of developing schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. “We recognize that genomic risk prediction is not yet mature, but will have its first impact in clinically high risk patients. I’m excited to collect the genomic data and test our predictive ability in patients in the clinic,” said Stahl. Eli Stahl’s background is in quantitative genetic analysis across a range of common diseases11 and pharmacological phenotypes.
11 In the News:
Improved Pediatric Bipolar Screen Unveiled
Researchers have developed a screening instrument for detecting bipolar disorder in children and adolescents from the general population. Sophia Frangou, MD, Senior Faculty of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and team based the screen on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) because of its cross-cultural generalizability, despite the “limited success” of previous screens based on this tool. Rather than using the summary scores for the existing CBCL behavioral domains, an expert panel selected 19 CBCL items that directly related to the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for mania.
Dr. Sophia Frangou, Senior Faculty, Psychiatry, Chief, Psychosis Research Program
Learn more: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130830/Improved-pediatric-bipolar-screen-unveiled.aspx
Human Liver Created from Stem Cells in World First for Japanese Scientists
Yokohama City University scientists have grown a fully-functional human liver from stem cells for the first time by transplanting 'liver buds' from human stem cells to restore liver function in mice, according to a report in the journal Nature. Valerie Gouon-Evans, MD, from The Mount Sinai Hospital, said the study was "a very novel thing", but added that the mice will need to be observed for many months to see if the cells degenerate or form tumors.
Dr. Valerie Gouon-Evans, Assistant Professor, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Medicine, Liver Diseases
Learn more: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/486504/20130704/japan-scientists-human-liver-created-stem- cells.htm
Some Forms of IVF Linked to Risk of Autism, Mental Disability
Couples who have certain types of fertility treatment have a higher chance of having a child with autism or learning difficulties - although the overall risk is still extremely small, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The experts said couples should not consider abandoning or avoiding in-vitro- fertilization (IVF) on the basis of their research findings. Avi Reichenberg, MD, who led the study at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said the results showed a link between some IVF treatments a higher risk of developmental disorders in children, but stressed the study did not identify a cause. "The exact mechanism is unclear, but there are a number of risk factors, from selection of IVF procedures, to multiple embryos, and to preterm birth," said Dr. Reichenberg.
Dr. Avi Reichenberg, Professor, Psychiatry
Learn more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/02/us-ivf-autism-idUSBRE96115320130702
How to Spot Vision Problems in Children If untreated, pediatric eye conditions can lead to long term problems with vision, hinder the development of the eye and cause problems with socialization and learning. Shreya Prabhu, MD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, says that doctors will typically perform simple vision tests from birth to rule out major problems in infants. As children get older, many will receive vision tests at school, in addition to regular eye evaluations during their yearly visit to their pediatrician. “They’ll do things like check pupils, how well they seem to see with each eye, do an external exam and look for a red reflux in the retina… that (red eye) when people take pictures,” Dr. Prabhu said. “If you don’t see that red spot in the center of the eye, there could be something in the eye like a cataract or other things obscuring that.
Dr. Shreya Prabhu, Assistant Clinical Professor, Ophthalmology
Learn more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/05/how-to-spot-vision-problems-in-children/ 12
12 In the News (continued):
Bird, Fish, and Fly Cells Reprogrammed The ability to reprogram differentiated cells toward pluripotency has been a remarkable achievement, though its application has mostly been limited to mammals. Researchers published in eLife this week (September 3) evidence of induced pluripotency in cells from the non-mammalian model organisms zebra finch, chicken, zebrafish, and drosophila. “It’s interesting that you put transcription factors into something that shouldn’t respond at all because the system isn’t there, and something happens,” said Thomas Zwaka, MD, Senior Faculty, Developmental and Regenerative Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not part of the study.
Dr. Thomas Zwaka, Senior Faculty, Developmental and Regenerative Biology
Learn more: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/37381/title/Bird--Fish--and-Fly-Cells- Reprogrammed/
Mount Sinai Scientists Push for East Harlem Biotech Incubator Scientists who create life-saving drugs want to turn East Harlem into the next biotech hub. Five female scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are planning to launch a nonprofit, with shared work space in East Harlem for medical startup companies. The group called KiiLN — Keystone for Incubating Innovation in Life Sciences — will serve as a home base for more than a dozen fledgling companies seeking to cure diseases, and will meet a need among city scientists, said Nicole McKnight, whose lab is getting a patent for an Alzheimer's disease drug.
Dr. Ilese Daehn, Assistant Professor, Nephrology Dr. Nicole McKnight, Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurology Dr. Merina Varshese, Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurology Dr. Yana Zorina, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Dr. Gabriella Casalena, Postdoctoral Fellow
Learn more: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130827/east-harlem/mount-sinai-scientists-push-for-east-harlem- biotech-incubator
Magnetic Brain Stimulation Might Aid Stroke Recovery: Study
Magnetic stimulation of the brain appears to help speed recovery of speech and language in stroke survivors, according to a study published in Stroke. "The findings indicate that transcranial magnetic stimulation is important to use early, but that's also when we see the greatest improvement in our patients both naturally and with the help of speech therapy,” said Kristjan Ragnarsson, MD, Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who was not involved in the study.
Kristjan Ragnarsson, MD, Professor, Chair, Rehabilitation Medicine
Learn more: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/06/27/magnetic-brain-stimulation-might-aid- stroke-recovery-study
ECT in Kids: Safe, Effective, Robust and…Underutilized
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for the treatment of severe mental illness in adolescents is safe, effective, and robust, according to a study presented by investigators from the Mayo Clinic at the American Psychiatric Association's 2013 Annual Meeting. “I'm glad to see this study because it confirms what most experts in the field already know: that ECT is as safe and effective when used in adolescents as it is in older patients,” said Charles Kellner, MD, Director of the ECT Service at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Charles Kellner, MD, Director, ECT Service, Professor, Psychiatry
Learn more (accessible to member accounts only): http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/806923
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13 In the News (continued):
Perception of Marijuana As a 'Safe Drug' Is Scientifically Inaccurate
The nature of the teenage brain makes users of cannabis amongst this population particularly at risk of developing addictive behaviors and suffering other long-term negative effects, according to researchers at the University of Montreal and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "Of the illicit drugs, cannabis is most used by teenagers since it is perceived by many to be of little harm,” said Yasmin Hurd, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Pharmacology and System Therapeutics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “This perception has led to a growing number of states approving its legalization and increased accessibility. Most of the debates and ensuing policies regarding cannabis were done without consideration of its impact on one of the most vulnerable population, namely teens, or without consideration of scientific data.”
Dr. Yasmin Hurd, Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Pharmacology and System Therapeutics
Learn more: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-08-perception-marijuana-safe-drug-scientifically.html
Mount Sinai Scientists Receive NIH Grant to Study Clinical Benefit of IGF-1 in Children with PMS
Scientists at the Seaver Autism Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), a promising treatment for a subtype of autism called Phelan McDermid Syndrome (PMS). The grant will allow researchers to expand upon an ongoing study assessing the clinical benefit of IGF-1 in children with this severe type of autism. With the grant, Alex Kolevzon, MD, Clinical Director the Seaver Autism Center and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will continue to enroll children ages 5 to 12 years old who have PMS in this double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study.
Dr. Alexander Kolevzon, Clinical Director, Seaver Autism Center, Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Pediatrics
Learn more: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20130827/Mount-Sinai-scientists-receive-NIH-grant-to-study- clinical-benefit-of-IGF-1-in-children-with-PMS.aspx
Scientists Target and Block a Specific Memory
A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science reports that memory of a specific event was impaired by targeting it selectively. The results are now clear: the researchers had blotted out a specific memory by intervening at the precise time in the multi-phase biological process that makes memories stick. "What's nice about this particular study," memory researcher Daniela Schiller, explained, "is that they used a memory that is very similar to real-life memories (a movie in this case)."
Dr. Daniela Schiller, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience
Learn more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-douglas-fields/scientists-target-and-blo_b_3342700.html
Alemtuzumab Benefits Hard-to-Treat MS Patients
Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada, Genzyme Corporation/sanofi-aventis) benefits the hardest-to-treat multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, even when the efficacy bar is set at the high possible level, a new study suggests. In CARE-MS II, for example, the relapse rate was reduced by 49 percent, and disability by 42 percent, compared with interferon, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) numbers were "favorable," said Stephen Krieger, Assistant Professor of Neurology, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, who presented the results in Orlando at the 5th Cooperative Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) and the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS).
Dr. Stephen Krieger, Assistant Professor, Neurology
Learn more: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/805173 14
14 In the News (continued):
After Tragedy, Who Bounces Back? Keys to Resiliency May Lie in Childhood
As the nation recovers from recent tragedies, “resiliency” has become the buzzword for recovery. Although research has identified genes that indicate a predisposition to resiliency or vulnerability to trauma, environmental influences at critical developmental periods, like infancy and early childhood, may also play a significant role. Neuroscientist Dr. Eric Nestler, Director of the Friedman Brain Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, believes environmental impact on genes partly explains why people respond differently to adversity. Nestler’s lab has tested stress responses and epigenetic changes in mice. In one study, two-thirds of the mice began to avoid other mice and became obese, less adventurous and less interested in activities like sex and eating sweets. Their brains showed modifications to genes that control the stress response. The remaining mice showed signs of resilience. “The challenge is if you look at the people subjected to these horrendous life events,” he said, “while most people do OK…we have no understanding of why the same inputs lead to such a disparate outcome. Presumably, that is driven by different genetics and different epigenetics.”
Dr. Eric Nestler, Professor & Chair, Neuroscience, Director of The Friedman Brain Institute
Learn more: http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/02/18660723-after-tragedy-who-bounces-back-keys-to- resiliency-may-lie-in-childhood?lite
Drug Combo May Cut Stroke Risk after TIA
According to a large randomized trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, stroke risk declined by a third in people who took a combination of antiplatelet drugs after having a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke. “The results are important because they demonstrate a benefit with combination therapy, but the trial does not establish dual-antiplatelet therapy as a new standard,” said Stanley Tuhrim, MD, of The Mount Sinai Medical Center, who was not involved in the study.
Stanley Tuhrim, MD, Professor, Neurology, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Learn more: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Neurology/Strokes/40122
Cocaine Addiction May be Cured by Ritalin
A study published in JAMA shows that a single dose of methylphenidate, a stimulant drug prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may normalize the nerve pathways that go haywire in cocaine addicts' brains. "These findings may also be generalizable to other types of addiction," said study lead investigator Rita Goldstein, MD, Professor in Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Rita Goldstein, MD, Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience
Learn more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57591202/cocaine-addiction-may-be-cured-by-ritalin/
ADHD Drug Shows Promise in Treating Addiction
A single dose of a commonly-prescribed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug helps improve brain function in cocaine addiction, according to an imaging study conducted by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Methylphenidate (brand name Ritalin®) modified connectivity in certain brain circuits that underlie self-control and craving among cocaine-addicted individuals. The research is published in the current issue of JAMA Psychiatry, a JAMA network publication.
Rita Goldstein, MD, Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience
Learn more: http://icahn.mssm.edu/research/institutes/brain-institute/news/adhd-drug-shows-promise-in-treating- addiction 15
15 In the News (continued):
Ketamine Works in OCD, Stubborn Depression The anesthetic agent ketamine continues to show tantalizing promise in psychiatric disorders, with results from new studies in intractable depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In a 72-patient randomized trial involving patients with major depression who had not responded to standard therapies, mean scores on the Montgomery- Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) fell by half 1 day after an intravenous infusion with ketamine, significantly more than in an "active placebo" group receiving the benzodiazepine agent midazolam. The ketamine group continued to show significantly greater improvement for the next two days relative to the controls, according to James W. Murrough, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. James Murrough, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Neuroscience Learn more: http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/APA/39279
The DSM-5 Is Here: What The Controversial New Changes Mean For Mental Health Care The most recent revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has arrived, and the latest changes have caused divisions among those in the psychiatric community. One of the most publicized changes in the DSM-5 involves grouping all of the subcategories of autism into a single category known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). “I think (exclusion from the spectrum) frankly yet to be determined, but if anything, the specificity is going to go up, meaning the false positives are going to be less likely,” Dr. Alexander Kolevzon. The DSM’s chapter on substance abuse has also undergone changes, now being called the Substance Use Disorders chapter. The diagnostic criteria for these conditions have been expanded, but one of the biggest changes deals with the swapping of two seemingly similar words when describing these disorders: the term “dependence” is out and the term “addiction” is in. According to Dr. Yasmin Hurd the change is subtle but necessary. “It was quite confusing, especially with the term dependence,” said Dr. Hurd. “It had association with severe psychological dependencies, generating a lot of confusion. Now the DSM-5 just talks about addiction, in context, being about the compulsive nature of the disorder.” Dr. Alexander Kolevzon, Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Pediatrics Dr. Rachel Yehuda, Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Director, Traumatic Stress Studies Division Learn more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/21/dsm-5-is-here-what-controversial-new-changes-mean-for- mental-health-care/
TOPIC Study Shows Once-Daily Aubagio Delay Onset of Clinically Definite Multiple Sclerosis Genzyme, a Sanofi company has reported positive top-line results from the TOPIC trial for Aubagio (teriflunomide). The trial was designed to assess whether early initiation of Aubagio (teriflunomide) in patients who experienced their first neurological symptoms consistent with Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) can prevent or delay conversion to clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS). “Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) is often a prelude to clinically definite multiple sclerosis, and early treatment has proved beneficial,” said Dr Aaron E Miller. “These findings are important as there is an unmet need for an efficacious oral option for patients at this stage of disease.” Dr. Aaron Miller, Professor, Neurology, Director of Clinical Affairs, Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS Learn more: http://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=75583&sid=2
Chemical Compound Shows Promise as Alternative To Opioid Pain Relievers A drug targeting a protein complex containing two different types of opioid receptors may be an effective alternative to morphine and other opioid pain medications, without any of the side effects or risk of dependence, according to research led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
16 Upcoming Calendar:
Fourth Annual Postdoc Symposium (Friday, September 27,2013) This symposium, hosted by the Postdoc Executive Committee, focuses on Science Communication and features a keynote talk from Alan Leshner, MD, Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, titled “Science and Society: The Need for Broad Public Engagement.” Postdocs can join for breakfast, interactive workshops and lunch in the Annenberg West Lobby. Everyone can join in the Stern Auditorium for talks from prize-winning postdocs and Dr. Leshner’s keynote. For more information, contact Eric Sweet at [email protected] or Nicole McKnight at [email protected]. Postdocs can register and pick their workshop at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ISMMSPostdocDay2013Registration.
17th Annual Seaver Autism Center Advances in Autism Conference (October 6, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm - Stern Auditorium) This conference is a series of lectures and workshops given by accomplished professionals in the field of autism, including keynote speaker Linmarie Sikich, MD, Director of the Adolescent and School-Age Psychiatric Intervention Research (ASPIRE) Program at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. The purpose of the conference is to advance knowledge of practicing psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, geneticists, other health care professionals, educators, family members, and social workers on the accurate recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The morning session features scientific presentations by renowned autism researchers from the Seaver Autism Center, and the afternoon workshops are led by Seaver researchers and representatives from community partners, such as Federation of Jewish Philanthropies’ (FEGS) Health and Human Services System, and YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities. For more information, or to register, visit www.seaverconference2013.eventbrite.com. Contact Jessica Brownfeld at [email protected] or 212-241-0349 with any further questions.
Poster printing for the Society for Neuroscience (SFN) 2013 Conference (November 9-13 in San Diego, CA) Poster printing with the Digital Media Center (DMC): Many of you are preparing posters to use in the upcoming SFN conference. The poster board space designated for this event is six feet wide x four feet high or 1.8 m x 1.2 m. Because the DMC is extremely busy during this period of time, it has set a strict poster submission deadline of 5pm on Wednesday, October 30th. If you do not already have a poster design, feel free to contact the DMC for a poster template. Please note that the DMC has a first come first served policy so please bring your posters in as early as possible. If you have any questions, please contact the Digital Media Center at [email protected] or 212.659.5962
Icahn School of Medicine’s Leadership blog:
Drs. Huntley and Salton: Introducing the Neuroscience Training Program http://blog.mountsinai.org/blog/neuroscience-training-program/
Dr. Casaccia: GUT-BRAIN connection: Exploring the role of Microbiome in Multiple Sclerosis http://blog.mountsinai.org/blog/exploring-the-role-of-microbiome-in-multiple-sclerosis/#more-1541
Stay tuned for upcoming blogs by:
• Kristen Brennand, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience • Roger Clem, PhD, Assistant Professor, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry • Hirofumi Morishita, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmology • Coro Paisán-Ruiz, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, and Psychiatry • Anne Schaefer, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, and Psychiatry • Mark Baxter, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and Anesthesiology
17 Sinai Neuroscience Outreach Program (SNOP)
Back row (left to right): Cesar Berrios-Otero, Maria Pizzirusso, Catherine Pena, Ben Chadwick, Ben Glicksberg Front row (left to right): Sarah Motley, Merina Varghese, Elisa Nabel, Jaclyn Rabkin, Ashley Russo, Lauren Friedman Not pictured: Claudia Morris, Fred d'Oleire Uquillas
The SNOP executive board has expanded to 13 positions this year thanks to enthusiastic volunteers and hard work from last year's leadership. They look forward to another year of expansion, including multi-week, multi-unit lessons for grades K-12.
Here is the list of the new executive board members and their positions.
• President: Sarah Motley • Vice President: Ashley Russo • Advisor: Lauren Friedman • Volunteer Liaison: Jaclyn Rabkin • Outreach Coordinators: Maria Pizzirusso, Fred d'Oleire Uquillas, Cesar Berrios-Otero • Social Media Managers: Ben Chadwick and Ben Glicksberg • Curriculum Development Committee: Elisa Nabel, Merina Varghese, Claudia Morris • BAW Coordinators: Catherine Pena
To learn more about SNOP, please visit: http://sinaineurooutreach.wordpress.com
Center for Excellence in Youth Education (CEYE)
The Center for Excellence in Youth Education (CEYE) has been exposing underrepresented minorities and disadvantaged youth to careers in science and medicine for the past 40 years. Programs stretch across grades 7 through college level and aim to increase the number of economically and educationally disadvantaged students pursuing careers in the STEM professions. All CEYE programming is application based and follows a hands-on, minds-on approach to build science content knowledge, increase public speaking skills and cultivate professionalism in CEYE students. One of the most exciting components of CEYE programming is the opportunity to participate in internship experiences in departments throughout the Mount Sinai Medical Center. Throughout this component students are responsible for keeping a logbook, attending afternoon seminars with CEYE teaching staff, conducting library research related to their internship, and ultimately giving a final oral presentation and final paper. They are processed through the CEYE office leaving them medically cleared, HIPAA trained, & fitted for a mask. They are also assigned lab coats and MSSM IDs. These type of experiences would not be possible without the support of faculty and staff that serve as mentors for these students.
To serve as a mentor or to learn more about CEYE, please contact Alyson Davis, MSW at 212-241-7655 or [email protected].
Feel free to check CEYE out at: Www.mssm.edu/ceyesummer and/or Www.facebook.com/ceye.cmca
18 Congratulations Dan, Jessica, Lauren, and Danae on your successful thesis defense! We wish you continued success in your scientific careers.
Dan Christoffel Lauren Friedman Danae Papapetrou Jessica Walsh
NEW: QR codes
QR codes are a quick way to direct someone to your website, or specific landing page. The Digital Media Center has produced unique QR codes for the Friedman Brain Institute, the Department of Neuroscience and the Department of Neuroscience's lab website. They may be printed on your promotional literature, business cards, PowerPoint and poster presentations. To acquire a digital file of the QR codes, please contact the DMC: [email protected] or 212.659.5962
FBI http://icahn.mssm.edu/research/institutes/brain-institute
Neuroscience http://icahn.mssm.edu/departments-and-institutes/neuroscience/
Neuroscience Lab website http://neuroscience.mssm.edu/
New additions to the Friedman Brain Institute (and future contributors to the Informant):
Cora Morgaine Hodes-Wood Ali Shum Aleyasin Carlota Clara Azcona Paisan Daughter of Georgia Hodes Son of Hossein Aleyasin Daughter of Coro Paisan-Ruiz
Born: January 4th, 2013 Born: August 2nd, 2013
19 Future issues of the Informant:
Please send updates of your laboratory, clinic, or department to Veronica Szarejko ([email protected]).
The next issue will be January 2014 All submissions are due December 13th. 2013
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