SWERDLOW LAB
About the Principal Investigator
Neal Swerdlow was born and raised in Los Angeles, where as a teen, he began working with developmentally disabled children. He attended Amherst College, majored in Neuroscience, took time off to work at the Brain Research Institute at UCLA, then returned to graduate Summa Cum Laude in 12/80, with degrees in Neuroscience and Psychology. After college, he returned to the West coast to work with Dr. George Koob (then at the Salk Institute). He completed his Ph.D. in George's lab, studying the behavioral anatomy of ventral striato-pallidal circuitry in rats. He graduated from the UCSD Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) with his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in 1986.
After UCSD, Swerdlow completed a Transitional Internship at Mercy Hospital, a Psychiatry Residency at UCSD, joined the UCSD faculty in 1991, earned tenure in 1994, and was promoted to full Professor in 2000. In addition to his laboratory research, Dr. Swerdlow serves as the Director of the Psychiatry Core Clerkship and Electives Program , chairs the Scientific Advisory Board of the Tourette Syndrome Assocation and the Medical Advisory Board of the San Diego chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill , serves on the Steering and Admissions Committees for the UCSD MSTP, and is a member of the Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia . When his work and family demands permit it, he pursues his hobbies of surfing and rock and roll music.
Dr. Swerdlow’s research is funded by the National Institue of Mental Health (NIMH). He holds an NIMH K02 Independent Scientist Award, is Principal Investigator on 3 current R01 Awards, and Co-Investigator on 4 additional R01 and R21 Awards, as described below:
ACTIVE SUPPORT 5 KO2 MH01436-06 (Swerdlow) 02/01/02-01/31/07 NIH/NIMH “Neural Circuitry of Sensorimotor Gating Across Species” This project 1) investigates brain regions that regulate sensorimotor gating in rats and 2) examines effects of dopamine agonists on measures of startle gating in humans.
5 RO1 MH59803-04 (Swerdlow) 05/01/99-01/31/04 NIH/NIMH “Dopaminergic Substrates of Startle Gating Across Species” These studies assess the effects of dopaminergic agents, including atypical and typical antipsychotic agents in normal male human subjects on measures of sensorimotor and cognitive gating.
2 RO1 MH53484-05 (Swerdlow) 2/1/01-12/31/05 NIH/NIMH “Cortico-Striatal Substrates of Deficient Startle Gating” These studies assess the neural substrates of changes in sensorimotor gating of the startle reflex following surgical and neurochemical manipulations of the ventral hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex in rats.
1 R01 MH68366-01 (Swerdlow) 7/01/03-6/30/07 NIH/NIMH "Neural basis of heritable DA-mediated gating deficits" This project investigates the brain circuit differences responsible for inherited differences in the sensitivity to the gating-disruptive effects of dopamine agonists in Sprague Dawley and Long Evans rats, and their F1 and N2 progeny.
5 R37 MH42228-16 (Braff) 02/01/98-01/31/03 NIH/NIMH “Sensory Gating and Habituation in Schizophrenia” Studies of startle plasticity in schizophrenia patients and related animal models.
1R01 MH65571-01 (Braff) 03/01/03-02/28/08 NIH/NIMH "The Genetics of Endophenotypes and Schizophrenia" This 7-site Consortium will identify genes associated with deficits in 6 endophenotypes in schizophrenia probands and family members.
2 RO1 MH52885-07 (Geyer) 04/01/00-03/31/05 NIH/NIMH “Developmental Models of Gating Deficits in Schizophrenia” This project examines developmental animal models of gating deficits in schizophrenia.
1 R21 MH68611-01 (Powell) 07/01/03-06/30/06 NIH/NIMH "Models of Antipsychotic Prophylaxis for Schizophrenia" This project assesses the effects of neonatal antipsychotic exposure on the expression of behavioral deficits in developmental animal models of schizophrenia.
A list of Dr. Swerdlow’s scientific honors and awards includes (Grants / Fellowships / Awards / Honors):
- 7/03: NIMH R21 Award (Co-Investigator) MH 68611
- 7/03: NIMH R01 Award (Principal Investigator) MH 68366
- 4/03: NIMH R01 Award (Co-Investigator) MH 65571
- 3/03: NIMH R01 Award (Co-Investigator) MH 42228 (Competitive Renewal)
- 12/02: The Joel Elkes International Award in Translational Research, ACNP
- 11/01: NIMH K02 Award MH 01436 (Competitive Renewal) (Principal Investigator)
- 11/00: NIMH R01 Award (Principal Investigator) MH 53484 (Competitive Renewal)
- 12/99: Elected Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
- 11/99: NIMH RO1 Award (Co-Investigator) MH52885 (Competitive Renewal)
- 6/99: NINDS R13 Award (Principal Investigator) NS38340
- 4/99: NIMH RO1 Award (Principal Investigator) MH59803
- 2/99: M.I.N.D. Institute Research Award in Neurodevelopmental Disorder
- 5/98: Early Contribution Award, American Psychiatric Electrophysiology Association
- 3/98: Anxiety Disorders Association of America, Young Investigator Award
- 3/97: California Department of Mental Health Award (Principal Investigator) State Senate Bill #472
- 2/97: NIMH K02 Award MH 01436 (Principal Investigator)
- 2/96: Chair, Scientific Advisory Board, Tourette Syndrome Association
- 12/96: NIMH R01 Award (Principal Investigator) MH 53484
- 7/96: NIMH R03 Award (Principal Investigator) MH 54621
- 7/95: NARSAD Independent Investigator Award
- 1/95: NIMH RO1 Award (Co-Investigator) MH52885
- 12/93: Elected Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
- 4/93: Board Certification, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
- 3/93: Tourette Syndrome Association Research Award
- 2/93: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship Award
- 8/92: Judith Silver Young Scientist Award, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
- 7/92: NIMH R37 Award (Co-Investigator) MH42228
- 7/92: Scottish Rite Schizophrenia Research Award
- 7/92: NIMH R29 Award (Principal Investigator) MH48381
- 6/91: Chairman's Research Award, Department of Psychiatry, UCSD School of Medicine
- 4/91: N.E. Miller New Investigator Award, The Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research
- 3/91: Dista Travel Fellowship Award, Society of Biological Psychiatry
- 2/91: APA Kempf Fund Award for Research Development in Psychobiological Psychiatry
- 2/91: Young Investigator Award, International Congress on Schizophrenia Research
- 2/90: Young Investigator Award, Nat Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD)
- 10/89: Travel Fellowship Award, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
- 8/89: 3rd place, Bingham Competition for Scholarship in Schizophrenia
- 8/89: UpJohn/NIMH Outstanding Psychiatric Resident Award
- 8/89: Honorable Mention, Central Neuropsych Assoc Menninger Award
- 2/89: Honorable Mention, APA/Dista Products Resident Research Award
- 11/88: Laughlin Fellowship, American College of Psychiatrists
- 5/87: Prentiss Award for Med Research, Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, 2nd and 3rd place
- 9/84: Scottish Rite Schizophrenia Graduate Research Fellowship
- 6/84: Parkinson's Disease Fnd Med Student Research Fellowship
- 11/83: Grant-in-Aid, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society
- 6/83: Parkinson's Disease Foundation Med Student Research Fellowship
- 1/83: Medical Scientist Training Fellowship, N.I.H.
- 6/82: Summer Research Fellowship, School of Med., UCSD
- 6/81: Woodruff-Simpson Fellowship for Med Sciences; Phi Beta Kappa; Sigma Xi; Amherst Col
Dr. Swerdlow's has published over 150 peer reviewed papers. Ten recent papers of relevance to his current interest are shown below, together with corresponding PDF files:
Swerdlow NR, Shoemaker JM, Platten A, Pitcher L, Goins J, Auerbach PP. Heritable differences in the dopaminergic regulation of sensorimotor gating: I. Apomorphine effects on startle gating in albino and hooded outbred rat strains and their F1 and N2 progeny. Psychopharmacology (in press) 2003. For html file, please click herePDF file not yet available
Swerdlow NR, Stephany N, ShoemakerJM, Ross L, Wasserman LC, Talledo J, Auerbach PP. Effects of amantadine and bromocriptine on startle and sensorimotor gating: Parametric studies and cross-species comparisons. Psychopharmacology 164: 82-92, 2002.Click here for publication in PDF
Swerdlow NR, Geyer MA, Braff DL. Neural circuitry of prepulse inhibition of startle in the rat: Current knowledge and future challenge. Psychopharmacology 156: 194-215, 2001.Click here for publication in PDF
Swerdlow NR, Martinez ZA, Hanlon FM, Platten A, Farid M, Auerbach P, Braff DL, Geyer MA. Towards understanding the biology of a complex phenotype: Rat strain and substrain differences in the sensorimotor gating-disruptive effects of dopamine agonists. J Neuroscience 20: 4325-4336, 2000.Click here for publication in PDF
Swerdlow NR, Braff DL, Geyer MA. Animal models of deficient sensorimotor gating: What we know, what we think we know, and what we hope to know soon. Behav Pharmacol 111:185-204, 2000.Click here for publication in PDF
Swerdlow NR, Taaid N, Halim N, Randolph E, Kim YK, Auerbach P. Hippocampal lesions enhance startle gating-disruptive effects of apomorphine in rats: A parametric assessment. Neuroscience 96: 523-536, 2000.Click here for publication in PDF
Swerdlow NR, Geyer MA, Blumenthal TD, Hartman PL. Effects of discrete acoustic prestimuli on perceived magnitude and behavioral responses to startling acoustic and tactile stimuli. Psychobiology 27: 453-461, 1999.
Swerdlow NR, Young AB. Neuropathology in Tourette Syndrome. CNS Spectrums 4: 65-74, 1999.
Swerdlow NR, Hartston HJ, Hartman P. Enhanced visual latent inhibition in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Biol Psychiat 45: 482-488, 1999.Click here for publication in PDF
Swerdlow NR, Geyer MA. Using an animal model of deficient sensorimotor gating to study the pathophysiology and new treatments of schizophrenia. Schizophenia Bull 24: 285-302, 1998.