Department of Psychiatry Faculty

Research Interest
Our group has been studying the treatment and pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Our work involves 1) the use of various psychopharmacological probes (ketamine, delta-9-THC, iomazenil, etc) to evaluate the contributions of various neurotransmitter systems (NMDA, cannabinoid, GABA, etc) to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia; 2) laboratory studies of comorbid substance abuse in schizophrenia, (alcohol, cannabis and nicotine) and 3) clinical trials with novel agents for schizophrenia.

Area of Expertise:
Human Psychopharmacology with a focus on cannabinoid and glutamate receptor function.
Clinical trials

Achievements and Honors
1995: Young Investigator Award: International Congress on Schizophrenia Research
1996: Young Scientist Award: 8th Biennial Winter Workshop on Schizophrenia Research
1996: Rafaelsen Fellowship Award: Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum (CINP)
2000: Young Scientist Award: 10th Biennial Winter Workshop on Schizophrenia Research
2002: Best New Investigator Award, Clinical Antipsychotics Treatment of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE)

Publications of Note

D C D'Souza, Perry E, MacDougall L, Ammerman Y, Cooper T, Wu YT, Braley G, Gueorguieva R, Krystal JH. (2004) The psychotomimetic effects of intravenous delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in healthy individuals: implications for psychosis. Neuropsychopharmacology. 29(8):1558-72.

DC D'Souza, W Abi-Saab, S Madonick; K Forselius-Bielen, A Doersch, G Braley, R Gueorguieva, T B Cooper, J Krystal. Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Effects in Schizophrenia: Enhanced Sensitivity to Effects on Learning and Memory. Biological Psychiatry 2005 Mar 15;57(6):594-608.

Jacobsen LK, D'Souza DC, Mencl WE, Pugh KR, Skudlarski P, Krystal JH; (2004) Nicotine effects on brain function and functional connectivity in schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry 15;55(8):850-8.

Krystal JH., Abi-Saab W, Perry E, D'Souza D. C, et al. Attenuation of the disruptive effects of the NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist, ketamine, on working memory by pretreatment with the group II metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonist, LY354740, in healthy human subjects. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2005 Apr;179(1):303-9.

Cho H, D'Souza DC, Gueorguieva R, Perry EB, Madonick S, Karper LP, Abi-Dargham A, Belger A, Abi-Saab W, Cassello K, Lipschitz D, Bennet A, Seibyl JP, Krystal JH. Absence of behavioral sensitization in healthy human subjects following repeated exposure to ketamine. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2005 Apr;179(1):136-43.

J Krystal, EB. Perry, R Gueorguieva, Al Belger, SH Madonick, A Abi-Dargham, T Cooper, K Cassello, L MacDougall, W Abi-Saab, DC D'Souza. Comparative and interactive human psychopharmacologic effects of ketamine and amphetamine: implications for glutamatergic and dopaminergic model psychoses and cognitive function Archives of Gen Psychiatry 2005;62:985-994.

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