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Transforming the understanding and treatment of mental illness through research DIVISION OF INTRAMURAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

Principal Investigators Esther M. Sternberg, M.D.   Dr. Sternberg received her M.D. degree and trained in Rheumatology at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. She did post-doctoral training in the Division of Allergy and Immunology, and was a Howard Hughes Associate and Instructor in Medicine at Washington University and Barnes Hospital, St. Louis, MO, before joining the National Institutes Health in 1986. Currently Chief of the Section on Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior at the National Institute of Mental Health, Dr. Sternberg directs and Co-chairs two multi-Institute Intramural Research Programs designed to foster interdisciplinary research at NIH. She is Director of the Integrative Neural Immune Program at the National Institutes of Health, a multi-Institute NIMH-based Program aimed at facilitating interdisciplinary research between neuroscience and immunology labs and related clinical disciplines. She is also Co-chair of a new multi-Institute NIH OD-based Program on Research in Women’s Health designed to foster research across all NIH Institutes in sex and gender differences and women’s health. Research Interests The mission of the Section on Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior (SNIB) is to advance the understanding of the role of neuroendocrine and neural factors in susceptibility and resistance to immune mediated disorders, including autoimmune, inflammatory and infectious disorders. The basic research component of the Section investigates mechanisms of hypothalamic CRH deficiency and hyper-responsiveness in inbred rat strains that are relatively autoimmune/inflammatory disease susceptible or resistant in part due to their differential neuroendocrine responsiveness. These studies are carried out at a molecular level (glucocorticoid receptor, estrogen receptor, other nuclear hormone receptors, cytokine and cytokine receptors); cellular level (immune/inflammatory responses; hypothalamic cell neurohormone and neuropeptide production); neuroanatomical level (neurohormone and immune molecule mRNA and peptide expression in brain; expression microarray approach to identification of candidate genes); systems level (neuroendocrine and immune responses). These studies have important implications for human physiology, including identifying genetic and environmental factors determining set-points of immune and stress responsiveness, and diseases including arthritis, inflammatory disease, and depression. These studies shed light on the association between stress responsive neural systems and immune disease. A new line of study focuses on the role of these factors in susceptibility, resistance and sequelae of infectious diseases and toxicity of certain bacterial toxins. The clinical research program of the SNIB focuses on discerning the mechanisms and role of neural immune interactions in inflammatory disease susceptibility and associated behavioral responses. Studies assess the pathogenesis of autoimmune and stress related neuroendocrine and immune responses in inflammatory disease using human subjects and exercise physiology, examining function under physical and psychological stress conditions, and in affective disorders such as depression. Representative Selected Recent Publications: Listwak S, Barrientos R, Koike G, Ghosh S, Gomez M, Misiewicz B and Sternberg EM.: Identification of a novel inflammation-protective locus in the Fischer rat. Mammalian Genome, 10(4):362-365, 1999. Webster EL, Barrientos RM, Contoreggi C , Isaac MG, Ligier S, Habib K, Chrousos GP, McCarthy EF, Rice KC, Gold PW and Sternberg EM: Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Antagonist Attenuates Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis: Evidence Supporting Major Role for CRH in Peripheral Inflammation. J Rheumatology, 29:6, 2002. Sternberg EM.: Neuroendocrine regulation of autoimmune/inflammatory disease. J. Endocrinology, 169, 429-435, 2001. Webster JI, Tonelli L, Sternberg EM.: Neuroendocrine Regulation of Immunity. Annual Review of Immunology, 20:125-163, 2002. Sternberg EM, Webster, J.: Neuroimmunology. Fundamental Immunology, Fifth Edition Ed., W. Paul. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia. In press 2002. Address: Dr. Esther M. Sternberg Integrative Neural Immune Program Section Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior Clinical Neuroendocrinology Branch, NIMH Building 5625, Room 4N13 5625 Fisher�s Lane, MSC-9401 Rockville MD 20852-9401 Phone: (301) 496-9255 (office), 301-496-9255 (laboratory) Email Dr. Sternberg Fax: 301-496-6095 Lab Web Site: http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/inip/     Principal Investigators Scientists & Clinicians DIRP Labs and Branches DIRP Research Areas Staff Scientists/Clinicians Office of the Scientific Director Site Map Participate in Research Contact Us Careers in Research What’s New Functional MRI Core Magnetic Resonance Core Magnetoencephalography Core Microarray Core Non-Human Primate Core Scientific and Statistical Computing Core Transgenic Core Veterinary Medicine Resources (Staff only) Office of the Scientific Director Office of the Clinical Director Office of Fellowship Training Office of Technology Transfer Administrative Services Branch Administrative Services

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The Division of Intramural Research Programs is within the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is a part the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.