Dr. Altshuler directs two research programs: the UCLA Mood Disorders Research Program and the Women’s Research Program. The overarching theme of both is to better understand the etiology and treatment of mood disorders in both the general population and in the specific populations of pregnant, postpartum and menopausal women. The programs use longitudinal imaging studies as well as medication trials with longitudinal follow-up. The Program has been funded by NIH grants, Veterans Administration grants, non-profit foundation grants, several industry-sponsored grants, and UCLA departmental support.


The Bipolar Disorder and Depression Research Program focuses primarily on major depression and bipolar disorder. The goal of the program is to treat individuals suffering from bipolar disorder and to further our understanding of this disorder through research. The Mood Disorders Research Program also has funding from private sponsors and the National Institute of Mental Health to use structural and functional MRI to record images of the brain during different mood phases in persons with bipolar disorder and major depression. Additionally, the program is currently conducting treatment trials for patients with bipolar disorder and depression.


The Women’s Research Program has conducted a series of studies relevant to women with depression or bipolar disorder during specific life phases. Studies that have been funded include assessing predictors of depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period; evaluating the risks of antidepressants during pregnancy on infant outcome compared to the risk of untreated depression on maternal health in pregnancy; the relationship between mood stabilizing agents when used in women with bipolar disorder and the development of polycystic ovary disease; and the impact of estrogen replacement therapy on mood in women with depression in the perimenopause.

Both the Mood Disorders Research Program and the Women’s Research Program have attracted national attention. Results from ongoing studies from these programs have been written about in the NY times and the Los Angeles Times as well as featured on CNN.