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Tamara Hershey, PhD
Current
Position
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Education and Training
B.A., Earlham College, IN
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology), Washington University in St. Louis
Areas of Research Interests
Dopamine, Basal Ganglia and Cognition: Cognitive dysfunction in diseases relevant to dopamine, such as Parkinson's disease, Tourette Syndrome, attention deficit disorders, or schizophrenia, can be limiting and disabling. Currently, when deficits in cognitive skills such as working memory are seen in these patient populations, it is speculated that the impairments are due to dysfunction of the dopaminergic pathways. Using a combination of functional neuroimaging, pharmacological and cognitive techniques, we are trying to differentiate the effects of these very different disease processes on dopaminergic and cognitive systems. Currently, functional neuroimaging (PET and fMRI) and neuropsychological studies are being performed on patients with Parkinson's disease under a variety of treatment conditions (including subthalamic stimulation) and on individuals with Tourette Syndrome.
Hypoglycemia and Memory: We are examining the impact of type 1 diabetes on children's cognitive skills, particularly memory. Using neuropsychological and neuroimaging methods, we are studying how memory function and its neural underpinnings are affected by severe hypoglycemia and severe hyperglycemia, and how this relationship is altered across development. This research has significant implications for the treatment of type 1 diabetes in children and can potentially contribute to our understanding of how metabolic insults to the developing brain affect the hippocampus, memory and executive skills.
Key Publications
Hershey T, Revilla F, Loepke, A, McGee-Minnich L, Antenor J, Videen T, Mink JW, Perlmutter JS: Cortical and subcortical blood flow effects of subthalamic nucleus stimulation in PD. Neurology 2003; 61, 816-821.
Hershey T, Revilla, F, Schneider Gibson P, Wernle A, Dowling J, Perlmutter JS: Stimulation of STN impairs aspects of cognitive control in PD. Neurology 2004; 62(7):1110-1114.
Hershey T, Lillie R, Sadler M, White N: A prospective study of severe hypoglycemia and spatial delayed response in children with T1DM. Pediatric Diabetes 2004; 5(2):63-71.
Hershey T, Black KJ, Hartlein J, Barch DM, Braver T, Carl JL, Perlmutter JS: Cognitive-pharmacological fMRI in Tourette syndrome: A pilot study. Biological Psychiatry 2004; 55(9): 916-925.
Hershey T, Black KJ, Hartlein J, Braver T, Barch DM, Carl JL, Perlmutter JS, Dopaminergic modulation of response inhibition: An fMRI study. Brain Research Cognitive Brain Research 2004; 20(3):438-448.
Funded Research Projects
NIMH(Key Personnel):Dopaminergic Effects on Cortical Function in Tourette's
NINDS(PI):Mapping Mood in the Subthalamic Nucleus in PD
NIDDK(PI):Glycemic Control, Brain Structure and Cognition in Youth with T1DM
NICHD(Key Personnel):Bedtime Beta2-adrenergic Agonist Therapy to Prevent Hypoglycemia in Children with Type 1 Diabetes
NCRR(Key Personnel):Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences - Brain, Behavior and Performance Unit (Perlmutter, PI)
NARSAD(Key Personnel):Neural Mechanisms of STN DBS Induced Acute Mood Changes in PD