Department of Psychiatry Faculty

Robert H. Roth, PhD Professor Psychiatry and Pharmacology Yale University Department of Psychiatry 300 George Street Suite 8300 New Haven , CT 06511 Tel: 203-785-4506 Fax: 203-785-5275 Email: robert.roth@yale.edu

Education

B.S. l961, University of Connecticut
Ph.D. l965, Yale University

Research Interest

Our group is interested in the neurochemistry, neuropharmacology and function of midbrain dopamine systems with emphasis on dopamine neurons in prefrontal cortex and their relationship to psyçhiatric and neurological disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety and Parkinson Disease. A particular focus is in the development and characterization of primate models to study these disorders. Our laboratory takes a neurochemical approach towards examining neurotransmitter function and the mechanism of action of psychotropic drugs. The major research is directed towards studying the biochemical organization, regulatory control, function and pharmacology (emphasis on antipsychotic drugs, psychomotor stimulants and marijuana) of catecholamine containing neurons in the CNS. Our current focus is on midbrain dopamine neurons and the projection to the prefrontal cortex. This dopamine system is critically involved in cognition, influenced by stress and implicated in psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and ADHD. In addition to the interests described above some recent studies have been directed at the characterization and use of the primate MPTP model of Parkinson's disease as a basis for the development of therapeutic transplantation and growth factor/gene therapy procedures. These studies have focused on investigating the biochemical, anatomical and behavioral aspects of neural grafts, stem cells and growth factor/gene therapy in this primate model.

Laboratory Personnel:

John D. Elsworth, Ph.D., Sr. Research Scientist
Bret A. Morrow, Ph.D., Research Scientist
Fiona Inglis, Research Affiliate
Dottie Cameron, Research Associate
Feng-Pei Chen, Research Associate
Barbara Adams, Research Associate
Klara Szigeti-Buck, Research Associate
Patrick Dantzer, Student

Publications of Note:

Jentsch,J.D., Redmond, D.E., Jr., Elsworth, J.D., Taylor, J.R., Youngren, K.D., and Roth, R.H. Enduring cognitive deficits and cortical dopamine dysfunction in monkeys after chronic PCP. Science., 277:953-955, 1997.

Jentsch, J.D., Taylor, J.R., & Roth, R.H., Phencyclidine Model of Frontal Cortical Dysfunction in Non-Human Primates. The Neuroscientist, 6(4); 263-270, 2000.

Elsworth, J.D, Taylor, J.R, Sladek, Jr., J.R., Collier, T.J., Redmond, Jr., D.E. & Roth, R. H., Striatal Dopaminergic Correlates of Stable Parkinsonism and Recovery in Old World Primates One Year After. Neuroscience, 95(2)399-408, 2000.

Verrico, C.D., Jentsch, J.D., Roth, R.H., A Persistent and Anatomically Selective Reduction in Prefrontal Cortical Dopamine Metabolism After Repeated, Intermittent Cannabinoid Administration to Rats.Synapse 49:61-66, (2003).

Morrow, B.A., Elsworth, J.D., & Roth, R.H., Prenatal Exposure to Cocaine Selectively Disrupts the Development of Parvalbumin Containing Local Circuit Neurons in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex of the Rat. Synapse, 56:l-11, (2005).

Hajszan, T., Leranth. C., Roth, R.H., Subchronic Phencyclidine Treatment Decreases the Number of Dendtritic Spine Synapses in the Rat Prefrontal Cortex In Press, Biological Psychiatry.

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