Research

Previous research addressed the impact of medical illness and cerebrovascular disease, and candidate genes on cognitive and mood disorders in later life that can alter treatment response and serve as risk factors for future dementia. We have a constantly evolving portfolio of projects, and many require volunteers to participate. Please review our list of studies currently looking for participants.

Published Research

  • Lavretsky H. Yoga and Meditation Can Help Improve Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018 Nov 22. pii: S1064-7481(18)30570-0. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.11.002. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30538073.
  • Vasudev A, Torres-Platas SG, Kerfoot K, Potes A, Therriault J, Gifuni A, Segal M, Looper KJ, Nair V, Lavretsky H, Rej S. Mind-Body Interventions in Late-Life Mental Illnesses and Cognitive Disorders: A Narrative Review. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018 Nov 3. Pii: S1064-7481(18)30541-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.10.020. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30527963.
  • Chang DD, Eyreeuro HA, Abbott R, Coudreaut M, Baune BT, Shaman JA, Lavretsky H, Lenze EJ, Merrill DA, Singh AB, Mulsant BH, Reynolds CF 3rd, Müller DJ, Bousman C. Pharmacogenetic guidelines and decision support tools for depression treatment: application to late-life. Pharmacogenomics. 2018 Nov;19(16):1269-1284. doi: 10.2217/pgs-2018-0099. PubMed PMID: 30422065.
  • Laird KT, Lavretsky H, Wu P, Krause B, Siddarth P. Neurocognitive Correlates of Resilience in Late-Life Depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019 Jan;27(1):12-17. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.08.009. Epub 2018 Aug 25. PubMed PMID: 30262406; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6298796.
  • Laird KT, Lavretsky H, St Cyr N, Siddarth P. Resilience predicts remission in antidepressant treatment of geriatric depression. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018 Dec;33(12):1596-1603. doi: 10.1002/gps.4953. Epub 2018 Jul 23. PubMed PMID: 30035325; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6246780.
  • Vlasova RM, Siddarth P, Krause B, Leaver AM, Laird KT, St Cyr N, Narr KL, Lavretsky H. Resilience and White Matter Integrity in Geriatric Depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018 Aug;26(8):874-883. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.04.004. Epub 2018 Apr 23. PubMed PMID: 29803529; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6086733.
  • Leaver AM, Yang H, Siddarth P, Vlasova RM, Krause B, St Cyr N, Narr KL, Lavretsky H. Resilience and amygdala function in older healthy and depressed adults. J Affect Disord. 2018 Sep;237:27-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.04.109. Epub 2018 Apr 25. PubMed PMID: 29754022; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5995579.
  • Lavretsky H, Abbott R. Community-Based Acupunch Exercise Program Improves Physical Health and Quality of Sleep in Taiwanese Older Adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018 May;26(5):521-522. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2018.01.207. Epub 2018 Feb 8. PubMed PMID: 29526545.
  • Abbott R, Chang DD, Eyre HA, Bousman CA, Merrill DA, Lavretsky H. Pharmacogenetic Decision Support Tools: A New Paradigm for Late-Life Depression? Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018 Feb;26(2):125-133. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2017.05.012. Epub 2017 May 25. Review. PubMed PMID: 29429869; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5812821.
  • Laird KT, Paholpak P, Roman M, Rahi B, Lavretsky H. Mind-Body Therapies for Late-Life Mental and Cognitive Health. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2018 Jan 25;20(1):2. doi: 10.1007/s11920-018-0864-4. Review. PubMed PMID: 29372339.
  • Laird KT, Lavretsky H, Paholpak P, Vlasova RM, Roman M, St Cyr N, Siddarth P. Clinical correlates of resilience factors in geriatric depression. Int Psychogeriatr. 2018 Jan 16:1-10. doi: 10.1017/S1041610217002873. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 29335041; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6047931.
  • Lavretsky H. Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine Use is Rising among Aging Baby Boomers. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2017 Dec;25(12):1402-1403. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2017.08.004. Epub 2017 Aug 30. PubMed PMID: 28939285.
  • Yang H, Leaver AM, Siddarth P, Paholpak P, Ercoli L, St Cyr NM, Eyre HA, Narr KL, Khalsa DS, Lavretsky H. Neurochemical and Neuroanatomical Plasticity Following Memory Training and Yoga Interventions in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Front Aging Neurosci. 2016 Nov 21;8:277. PubMed PMID: 27917121; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5116460.
  • Acevedo BP, Pospos S, Lavretsky H. The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep. 2016;3(4):328-339. Review. PubMed PMID: 27909646; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5110576.
  • Lenze EJ, Ramsey A, Brown PJ, Reynolds CF 3rd, Mulsant BH, Lavretsky H, Roose SP. Older Adults' Perspectives on Clinical Research: A Focus Group and Survey Study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 Oct;24(10):893-902. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2016.07.022. PubMed PMID: 27591916; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5026966.
  • Arandjelovic K, Eyre HA, Lavretsky H. Clinicians' Views on Treatment-Resistant Depression: 2016 Survey Reports. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 Oct;24(10):913-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2016.05.010. PubMed PMID: 27591914.
  • Lavretsky H. Lifestyle Medicine for Prevention of Cognitive Decline: Focus on Green Tea. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 Oct;24(10):890-2. doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2016.08.002. PubMed PMID: 27591162.
  • Hsu JH, Mulsant BH, Lenze EJ, Karp JF, Lavretsky H, Roose SP, Reynolds CF 3rd, Blumberger DM. Impact of Prior Treatment on Remission of Late-Life Depression with Venlafaxine and Subsequent Aripiprazole or Placebo Augmentation. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 Oct;24(10):918-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2016.04.015.PubMed PMID: 27538352; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5026879.
  • Merrill DA, Siddarth P, Raji CA, Emerson ND, Rueda F, Ercoli LM, Miller KJ, Lavretsky H, Harris LM, Burggren AC, Bookheimer SY, Barrio JR, Small GW. Modifiable Risk Factors and Brain Positron Emission Tomography Measures of Amyloid and Tau in Nondemented Adults with Memory Complaints. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 Sep;24(9):729-37. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2016.05.007. PubMed PMID:  27421618; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5003686.
  • Eyre HA, Yang H, Leaver AM, Van Dyk K, Siddarth P, St. Cyr N, Narr K, Ercoli L, Baune BT, Lavretsky H. Altered resting-state functional connectivity in late-life depression: A cross-sectional study. J Affect Disord. 2016 Jan 1;189:126-33. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2015.09.011. Epub 2015 Sep 28. PubMed PMID: 26433760; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4640990.
  • Eyre H, Baune B, Lavretsky H. Clinical Advances in Geriatric Psychiatry: A Focus on Prevention of Mood and Cognitive Disorders. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2015 Sep;38(3):495-514. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2015.05.002. Epub 2015 Jun 26. Review. PubMed PMID: 26300035; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4548274.
  • Eyre HA, Eskin A, Nelson SF, St. Cyr NM, Siddarth P, Baune BT, Lavretsky H. Genomic predictors of remission to antidepressant treatment in geriatric depression using genome-wide expression analyses: a pilot study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015 Oct 15. doi: 10.1002/gps.4356. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 26471432.                         
  • Lavretsky H, Reinlieb M, St. Cyr N, Siddarth P, Ercoli LM, Senturk D. Citalopram, Methylphenidate, or Their Combination in Geriatric Depression: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Am J Psychiatry. 2015 Feb 13:appiajp201414070889. PubMed PMID: 25677354.
  • Brown FW. Resilience and Aging: Research and Practiceby Helen Lavretsky, M.D., M.S. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014, 272 pp., $44.95. Am J Psychiatry. 2015 Feb 1;172(2):204. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14111392. PubMed PMID: 25640940.
  • Irwin MR, Olmstead R, Carrillo C, Sadeghi N, Breen EC, Witarama T, Yokomizo M, Lavretsky H, Carroll JE, Motivala SJ, Bootzin R, Nicassio P. Cognitive behavioral therapy vs. Tai Chi for late life insomnia and inflammatory risk: a randomized controlled comparative efficacy trial. Sleep. 2014 Sep 1;37(9):1543-52. doi:10.5665/sleep.4008. PubMed PMID: 25142571
  • Varteresian T, Lavretsky H. Natural products and supplements for geriatric depression and cognitive disorders: an evaluation of the research. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2014 Aug;16(8):456. doi: 10.1007/s11920-014-0456-x. PubMed PMID:24912606
  • Reinlieb M, Ercoli LM, Siddarth P, St Cyr N, Lavretsky H. The Patterns of Cognitive and Functional Impairment in Amnestic and Non-amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment in Geriatric Depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2013 Nov 5. pii: S1064-7481(13)00398-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.10.010. [Epub ahead of print]PubMed PMID: 24315561.
  • Siddarth D, Siddarth P, Lavretsky H. An observational study of the health benefits of yoga or tai chi compared with aerobic exercise in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014 Mar;22(3):272-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.01.065. Epub 2013 May 2. PubMed PMID: 23642461
  • Chen ST, Siddarth P, Saito NY, Rueda F, Haight T, Ercoli LM, Miller KJ, Lavretsky H, Barrio JR, Bookheimer SY, Small GW, Merrill DA. Psychological well-being and regional brain amyloid and tau in mild cognitive impairment. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014 Apr;22(4):362-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2012.09.002. Epub 2013 Mar 26. PubMed PMID: 23567426
  • Abbott R, Lavretsky H. Tai Chi and Qigong for the treatment and prevention of mental disorders. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2013 Mar;36(1):109-19. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2013.01.011. Review. PubMed PMID: 23538081
  • Pomykala KL, Silverman DH, Geist CL, Voege P, Siddarth P, Nazarian N, St Cyr NM, Khalsa DS, Lavretsky H. A pilot study of the effects of meditation on regional brain metabolism in distressed dementia caregivers. Aging health. 2012 Oct 1;8(5):509-516. PubMed PMID: 23378856
  • Merrill DA, Siddarth P, Kepe V, Raja PV, Saito N, Ercoli LM, Miller KJ, Lavretsky H, Bookheimer SY, Barrio JR, Small GW. Vascular risk and FDDNP-PET influence cognitive performance. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013;35(1):147-57. doi: 10.3233/JAD-121903. PubMed PMID: 23380994
  • Lavretsky H, Newhouse PA. Stress, inflammation and aging. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry [in press]
  • Black DS, Cole SW, Irwin MR, Breen E, St. Cyr N, Nazarian N, Khalsa DS, Lavretsky H. Yogic meditation reverses NF-kappaB and IRF-related transcriptome dynamics in leukocytes of family dementia caregivers in a randomized controlled trial. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2012 Jul 13.  PubMed PMID:22795617.
  • Jain FA, Gitlin M, Lavretsky H. Rapid Response of Major Depressive Disorder and Comorbid Eating Disorder NOS to a Novel Meditation Intervention. Psychosomatics. 2012 Jul;53(4):401-2. PubMed PMID: 22748753.
  • Lavretsky H, Siddarth, P, Nazarian, N, St. Cyr, N, Khalsa, DS, Lin, J, Blackburn, E, Epel, ES, Irwin, MR. A pilot study of yogic meditation for family dementia caregivers with depressive symptoms: Effects on mental health, cognition, andtelomerase activity. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2012 Mar 11. doi: 10.1002/gps.3790. PubMed PMID: 22407663.
  • Ercoli LM, W Small G, Siddarth P, Kepe V, Huang SC, Miller KJ, Lavretsky H, Bookheimer SY, Barrio JR, Silverman DH. Assessment of dementia risk in aging adults using both FDG-PET and FDDNP-PET imaging. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2012 Mar 1. doi: 10.1002/gps.2816. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 22383132.
  • Schneider B, Ercoli L, Siddarth P, Lavretsky H. Vascular burden and cognitive functioning in depressed older adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2012 Aug;20(8):673-81. PubMed PMID: 21857219.
  • Lavretsky H, Alstein LL, Olmstead RE, Ercoli, LM, Riparetti-Brown M, St Cyr N, Irwin MR. Complementary Use of Tai Chi Chih Augments Escitalopram Treatment of Geriatric Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2011 Oct;19(10):839-50.
  • Meeks TW, Vahia IV, Lavretsky H, Kulkarni G, Jeste DV. A tune in "a minor" can "b major": a review of epidemiology, illness course, and public health implications of subthreshold depression in older adults. J Affect Disord. 2011 Mar;129(1-3):126-42. Review. PubMed PMID: 20926139; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC3036776.
  • Cho HJ, Lavretsky H, Olmstead R, Levin M, Oxman MN, Irwin MR. Prior depression history and deterioration of physical health in community-dwelling older adults- A prospective cohort study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010 Jan 11. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 20220581.Lavretsky H, Zheng L, Weiner MW, Mungas D, Reed B, Kramer JH, Jagust W, Chui H, Mack WJ. Association of depressed mood and mortality in older adults with and without cognitive impairment in a prospective naturalistic study. Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Feb 16. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 20160005.
  • Lavretsky H, Siddarth P, Irwin MR. Improving depression and enhancing resilience in family dementia caregivers: a pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial of escitalopram. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010 Feb;18(2):154-62.
  • Mueller SG, Mack WJ, Mungas D, Kramer JH, Cardenas-Nicolson V, Lavretsky H,Greene M, Schuff N, Chui HC, Weiner MW. Influences of lobar gray matter and white matter lesion load on cognition and mood. Psychiatry Res. 2010 Feb 28;181(2):90-6.
  • Lavretsky H. Complementary and alternative medicine use for treatment and prevention of late-life mood and cognitive disorders. Aging health. 2009 Feb 1;5(1):61-78.
  • Lavretsky H, Siddarth P, Kepe V, Ercoli LM, Miller KJ, Burggren AC, Bookheimer SY, Huang SC, Barrio JR, Small GW. Depression and anxiety symptoms are associated with cerebral FDDNP-PET binding in middle-aged and older nondemented adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2009 Jun;17(6):493-502.
  • Small GW, Siddarth P, Burggren AC, Kepe V, Ercoli LM, Miller KJ, Lavretsky H, Thompson PM, Cole GM, Huang SC, Phelps ME, Bookheimer SY, Barrio JR. Influence of cognitive status, age, and APOE-4 genetic risk on brain FDDNP positron-emission tomography imaging in persons without dementia. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2009 Jan;66(1):81-7.
  • Cho HJ, Lavretsky H, Olmstead R, Levin MJ, Oxman MN, Irwin MR. Sleep disturbance and depression recurrence in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective study. Am J Psychiatry. 2008 Dec;165(12):1543-50.
  • Elderkin-Thompson V, Ballmaier M, Hellemann G, Pham D, Lavretsky H, Kumar A. Daily functioning and prefrontal brain morphology in healthy and depressed community-dwelling elderly. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Aug;16(8):633-42.
  • Lavretsky H. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer disease and related disorders: why do treatments work in clinical practice but not in the randomized trials? Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Jul;16(7):523-7.
  • Lavretsky H, Zheng L, Weiner MW, Mungas D, Reed B, Kramer JH, Jagust W, Chui H, Mack WJ. The MRI brain correlates of depressed mood, anhedonia, apathy, and anergia in older adults with and without cognitive impairment or dementia. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Oct;23(10):1040-50.
  • Lavretsky H. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer disease and related disorders: why do treatments work in clinical practice but not in the randomized trials? Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Jul;16(7):523-7.
  • Lavretsky H, Zheng L, Weiner MW, Mungas D, Reed B, Kramer JH, Jagust W, Chui H, Mack WJ. The MRI brain correlates of depressed mood, anhedonia, apathy, and anergia in older adults with and without cognitive impairment or dementia. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Apr 16.
  • Lavretsky H, Siddarth P, Kumar A, Reynolds CF 3rd. The effects of the dopamine and serotonin transporter polymorphisms on clinical features and treatment response in geriatric depression: a pilot study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Jan;23(1):55-9.
  • Lavretsky H, Ballmaier M, Pham D, Toga A, Kumar A. Neuroanatomical characteristics of geriatric apathy and depression: a magnetic resonance imaging study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2007 May;15(5):386-94.
  • Lavretsky H, Nguyen LH. Innovations: geriatric psychiatry: diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer's disease. Psychiatr Serv. 2006 May;57(5):617-9.
  • Lavretsky H, Park S, Siddarth P, Kumar A, Reynolds CF 3rd. Methylphenidate-enhanced antidepressant response to citalopram in the elderly: a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Feb;14(2):181-5.
  • Lavretsky H, Roybal DJ, Ballmaier M, Toga AW, Kumar A. Antidepressant exposure may protect against decrement in frontal gray matter volumes in geriatric depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2005 Aug;66(8):964-7.
  • Lavretsky H, Kurbanyan K, Ballmaier M, Mintz J, Toga A, Kumar A. Sex differences in brain structure in geriatric depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2004 Nov-Dec;12(6):653-7.
  • Lavretsky H, Ercoli L, Siddarth P, Bookheimer S, Miller K, Small G. Apolipoprotein epsilon4 allele status, depressive symptoms, and cognitive decline in middle-aged and elderly persons without dementia. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2003 Nov-Dec;11(6):667-73.
  • Lavretsky H, Kitchen C, Mintz J, Kim MD, Estanol L, Kumar A. Medical burden, cerebrovascular disease, and cognitive impairment in geriatric depression: modeling the relationships with the CART analysis. CNS Spectr. 2002 Oct;7(10):716-22.
  • Lavretsky H, Bastani R, Gould R, Huang D, Llorente M, Maxwell A, Jarvik L;UPBEAT Collaborative Group. Unified Psychogeriatric Biopsychological Evaluation and Treatment. Predictors of two-year mortality in a prospective "UPBEAT" study of elderly veterans with comorbid medical and psychiatric symptoms. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2002 Jul-Aug;10(4):458-68.
  • Lavretsky H, Kumar A. Clinically significant non-major depression: old concepts, new insights. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2002 May-Jun;10(3):239-55. Review.