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John G. Csernansky, M.D.
Current
Position
Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry
http://conte.wustl.edu
University Roles
Department of Psychiatry Associate Professor of Neurobiology
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Education and Training
B.A.: Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1975
Medical Degree: New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, 1979
Residency: Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, 1982
Chief Resident: Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, 1983
Fellowship: Psychopharmacology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, 1982
Major Awards
Listed in Best Doctors in America, 2003 (Best Doctors, Inc)
Listed in Best Doctors in America, 2002 (Best Doctors, Inc)
Donovan-Shear Award, Mental Illness Awareness Coalition of Metropolitan St. Louis, 2000
Exemplary Psychiatrist Award, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, 1998
Judith Silver Memorial Young Scientist Award-National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, 1991
Areas of Clinical Interest
Schizophrenia, alzheimer's disease, personality disorders, neurodegenerative disorders
Areas of Research Interests
My research is focused on the investigation of relationships between neurobiological measures, specific dimensions of cognition and psychopathology. We are especially interested in determining the way in which abnormalities of the structure and function of the limbic system and prefrontal cortex are related to cognitive deficits and to the capacity to respond to drug therapies in patients with schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. In conjunction with these studies, we perform clinical trials of new drugs that aim to improve cognitive function and improve long-term outcome. Animal models are also used in the laboratory to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and therapeutic drug action. These studies employ juvenile as well as animals, so that developmental aspects of brain function can be studied.
Key Publications
Csernansky JG, Brenner R, Mahmoud R and the RIS-79 Study Group: Reducing relapse rates in schizophrenia: A long-term double-blind comparison of risperidone and haloperidol. New Eng J Med 2002; 346:16-22.
Csernansky JG, Schlinder MK, Splinter NR, Wang L, Gado M, Selemon LD, Rastogi-Cruz D, Posener JA, Thompson P, Miller MI: Abnormalities of thalamic volume and shape in schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 2004; 161:896-902.
Csernansky JG, Wang L, Swank J, Miller JP, Gado M, McKeel D, Miller MI, Morris JC: Preclinical detection of Alzheimer's disease: Hippocampal shape and volume predict dementia in the elderly. NeuroImage 2005; 25:783-792.
Dong H, Gioco B, Martin CA, Bertchume A, Csernansky JG: Modulation of hippocampal cell proliferation, memory, and amyloid plaque deposition in APPsw (Tg2576) mutant mice by isolation stress. Neuroscience 2004; 127:601-609.
Wang L, Swank JS, Glick IE, Gado M, Miller MI, Morris JM, Csernansky JG: Changes in hippocampal volume and shape across time distinguish dementia of the Alzheimer type from healthy aging. NeuroImage 2003; 20:667-682.
Funded Research Projects
NIMH(PI):Corticolimbic Degeneration and Treatment of Dementia
NIA(Key Personnel):Healthy Aging & Senile Dementia - Project 4: Predicting Cognitive Decline in Nondemented Elder Subjects
NIH(Key Personnel):Treatment Units for Research on Neurocognition and Schizophrenia (TURNS)
NIMH(PI):Mapping Abnormal Neurodevelopment in Schizophrenia
NIA(Key Personnel):Antecedent Biomarkers for AD: The Adult Children Study
NIMH(PI):Neuromorphometry in Schizophrenia by Computer Algorithm