Mechanisms of Antidepressant Effects

Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Mechanisms of Antidepressant Effects

Watch Video Recording:

Presented by 
Lisa M. Monteggia, Ph.D.
Lisa M. Monteggia, Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University

Barlow Family Director, Vanderbilt Brain Institute

Professor, Department of Pharmacology

Scientific Council Member (Joined 2019)

2014 Distinguished Investigator Grant

2010 Independent Investigator Grant

2005 Daniel X. Freedman Award

2003, 2001 Young Investigator Grant

 

Lisa Monteggia is the Barlow Family Director of the Vanderbilt Brain Institute at Vanderbilt University.  Her research focuses on the role of the molecular and cellular basis of neuroplasticity as it pertains to neuropsychiatric disorders.  Her research has demonstrated a crucial role for brain-derived growth factor (BDNF) in antidepressant action.  She has also identified a novel synaptic mechanism underlying the rapid antidepressant action of ketamine.  She also studies the role of Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), the gene linked to the autism spectrum disorder, Rett syndrome, on synaptic plasticity and behavior with implications towards a better understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders.   Her research encompasses molecular, cellular, behavioral and electrophysiological approaches using preclinical models.

Before moving to Vanderbilt University, Dr. Monteggia held the Ginny and John Eulich Professorship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.  She is a Councilor for the Society for Neuroscience, a member of the National Institute of Health (NIH) Brain 2.0 Initiative Working Group, and serves on the editorial board of several journals.

Moderated by
Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D.
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
 

Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., serves as the President & CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, the largest private funder of mental health research grants. Dr. Borenstein developed the Emmy-nominated public television program “Healthy Minds,” and serves as host and executive producer of the series. The program, broadcast nationwide, is available online, and focuses on topics in psychiatry in order to educate the public, reduce stigma and offer a message of hope. Dr. Borenstein also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Psychiatric News, the newspaper of the American Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Borenstein is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and serves as the Chair of the Section of Psychiatry at the Academy. He also has served as the President of the New York State Psychiatric Association. Dr. Borenstein earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard and his medical degree at New York University.