Department of Psychiatry Faculty

Joel Gelernter, MD Professor of Psychiatry Director, Division of Human Genetics in Psychiatry VA Medical Center Tel: 203-932-5711 x3590 Fax: 203-937-3897 Email: joel.gelernter@yale.edu

Education

1979, B.S. Yale University
1983, M.D., SUNY-Downstate Medical School, New York, New York
1986-1988, Fellowship, psychiatric genetics, NIMH

Research Interest

The research focus of my laboratory is genetics of psychiatric illness. We study a range of behavioral phenotypes including cocaine, opiate, nicotine, and ethanol dependence, panic and other anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and affective disorders. In addition we study a range of intermediate phenotypes, such as neuroimaging measures; and basic issues in population genetics. The overall approach involves study of genetic polymorphism, both on a molecular level, and from the perspective of population genetics. Current studies include two large NIH (NIDA)-funded multicenter affected sibling pair genomewide linkage studies with the goal of identifying genes predisposing to cocaine, opioid, and tobacco dependence; a multicenter NIAAA-funded study in mapping by admixture linkage disequilibrium (MALD) for alcohol dependence; a study using small nuclear families to identify genomic regions in linkage disequilibrium with alcohol dependence; and a full genome scan (using linkage) with the goal of identifying loci predisposing to panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, and simple phobia. Additional projects include mutation detection studies for candidate genes, studies of within-locus linkage disequilibrium at candidate loci, fine-mapping a locus for simple phobia, a study of social phobia and related social-anxiety traits, and studies of several other phenotypes. We have ongoing collaborations with investigators at the Chulalongkorn Faculty of Medicine in Bangkok, Thailand, to study genetics of substance dependence; and a collaborative training program with that institution, to train Thai investigators in substance dependence genetics at Yale.

Area of Expertise:

Psychiatric genetics
Genetic linkage

Laboratory Personnel

Bau-zhu Yang, PhD, Associate Research Scientist
Xingguang Luo, M.D, Associate Research Scientist
Huiping Zhang, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate
Chupong Ittiwut, Postgraduate Fellow
Jennifer Listman, Postgraduate Fellow
Yari Nunez, SSADDA Interviewer
Matthew Madura, SSADDA Interviewer
Thomas Hudak, SSADDA Interviewer
Elizabeth Trainor, SSADDA Interviewer
Ellen Koucky, SSADDA Interviewer
Ann Marie Wantroba, MS, Technician
Greg Kay, Technician
Yakov Lozovatsky, Technician
Lisa Naito, Technician
Judy Smith, Senior Administrative Assistant

Achievements and Honors

• NIH Medical Staff Fellowship
• NIMH Level I Career Award; NIMH Independent Scientist Career Award
• Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
• Editorial Board member, Biological Psychiatry and Psychiatric Genetics

Publications of Note

Zhang H, Luo X, Kranzler HR, Lappalainen J, Yang BZ, Krupitsky E, Zvartau E, Gelernter J: Association between two μ opioid receptor gene (OPRM1 ) haplotype blocks and drug or alcohol dependence Human Molecular Genetics (In press)

Kaabi B, Gelernter J, Woods SW, Goddard A, Page GP, and Elston RC: Genome scan for loci predisposing to anxiety disorders using a novel multivariate approach: strong evidence for a chromosome 4 risk locus. Am J Hum Genet (In press)

Yang BZ, Zhao H, Kranzler HR, Gelernter J: Practical population group assignment with selected informative markers: characteristics and properties of Bayesian clustering via STRUCTURE. Genetic Epidemiology 2005 28:302-312.; DOI: 10.1002/gepi.20070

Lappalainen J, Krupitsky E, Remizov M, Pchelina S, Taraskina A, Zvartau E Somberg LK, Covault J, Kranzler HR, Krystal JH, and Gelernter J: Association between alcoholism and GABRA2 in a Russian population. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2005 29:493-498

Gelernter J, Panhuysen C, Weiss R, Brady K, Hesselbrock V, Rounsaville B, Poling J, Wilcox M, Farrer L, and Kranzler HR: Genomewide linkage scan for cocaine dependence and related traits: Linkages for a cocaine-related trait and cocaine-induced paranoia. Am J Med Genet Part B (Neuropsychiatric Genetics) 136B:45–52 (2005)

Luo X, Kranzler HR, Zuo L, Wang S, Blumberg HP, and Gelernter J: CHRM2 gene predisposes to alcohol dependence, drug dependence, and affective disorders: results from an extended case-control structured association study. Human Molecular Genetics 2005;14:2421–2434

Kaufman J, Yang B-Z, Douglas-Palumberi H, Grasso D, Lipschitz D, Houshyar S, Krystal JH, and Gelernter J: BDNF-5-HTTLPR gene interactions and environmental modifiers of depression in children. Biological Psychiatry (In press)

Lappalainen J, Kranzler HR, Petrakis I, Somberg LK, Page G, Krystal JH, and Gelernter J: Confirmation and fine‑mapping of the chromosome 1 alcohol dependence risk locus. Molecular Psychiatry 2004;9:312-319

Potenza NM, Brodkin ES, Joe B, Luo X, Remmers EF, Wilder RL, Nestler EJ, and Gelernter J: Genomic regions controlling corticosterone levels in rats. Biological Psychiatry 2004;55:634-641

Stein MB, Schork MJ, and Gelernter J: A polymorphism of the β1-adrenergic receptor is associated with shyness and low extraversion. B iological Psychiatry 2004;56:217-224

Kaufman J, Yang B-Z, Douglas-Palumberi H, Houshyar S, Lipschitz D, Krystal JH, Gelernter J. Social supports and serotonin transporter gene moderate depression in maltreated children. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 2004;101:17316-17321

Gelernter J, Page G, Bonvicini K, Woods SW, Pauls DL, and Kruger S: A chromosome 14 risk locus for simple phobia: results from a genomewide linkage scan. Molecular Psychiatry 2003;8:71-82

Copyright © . Yale University School of Medicine, Psychiatry Department. All rights reserved.
Comments or suggestions to the site editor.

Home URL: http://info.med.yale.edu/ysm