Edythe D. London, Ph.D.

Positions & Affiliations:

Distinguished Professor in Residence, Dept. Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Dept. Molecular & Medical Pharmacology; Member, Brain Research Institute; Member, Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program

Research Description:

A pioneer in brain imaging to study addiction, Dr. London performs translational studies, primarily using multi-modal brain imaging in human research participants ? molecular imaging with PET and MRS, and structural and functional MRI. The goal is to elucidate neurochemical and circuit-level abnormalities that can inform evidence-based treatments for addiction. Bridging psychiatry, pharmacology and neuroscience, her work has provided notable firsts: mapping drug-induced euphoria and drug craving in the human brain, visualizing the cerebral distributions of actions of abused drugs, and developing probes for external brain imaging. Her contribution to development of radiotracers for human research has facilitated research on addictions and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Focusing on corticostriatal circuitry, dopamine receptor signaling, and executive functioning, her recent work follows her seminal findings of prefrontal cortical and cognitive deficits in cocaine users, and provides a potential therapeutic target for addiction treatments, and a mechanism by which dopaminergic neurotransmission modulates decision-making through an interactive frontostriatal system.

Bio:

Adjunct Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai (since January 2013)

Previous Academic Appointments:
1981 – 1982: Pharmacologist, Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Inst. on Aging
1982 – 1984: Pharmacologist, Clinical Pharmacology Branch, National Inst. on Drug Abuse
1985 – 1992: Chief, Neuropharmacology Lab., Addiction Research Center, National Inst. on Drug Abuse
1987 – 1999: Adjunct Professor, Dept. Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Maryland School of Medicine
1987 – 2000: Associate Professor, Part-time, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
1992 – 1999: Chief, Brain Imaging Section and Director, Brain Imaging Center, National Inst. on Drug Abuse