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

Principal Investigators Ellen Leibenluft, M.D.   Ellen Leibenluft, M.D. is Senior Investigator and Chief of the Section on Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in the Emotion and Development Branch, Mood and Anxiety Program, National Institute of Mental Health, and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Leibenluft received her B.A. from Yale University summa cum laude and her M.D. from Stanford University. After completing residency training at Georgetown University Hospital, she served on the faculty there as director of the psychiatric inpatient unit and day hospital. She came to the NIMH in 1989, and since that time has been conducting research on bipolar disorder. Her research focuses on the brain mechanisms involved in bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. Her work involves the use of cognitive neuroscience techniques and neuroimaging modalities, including functional MRI. In addition, since questions have been raised as to whether children with impairing irritability should be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Dr. Leibenluft conducts research on this question, including studies on the brain mechanisms mediating severe irritability in children. Research Interests Dr. Leibenluft is Chief of the Section on Bipolar Spectrum Disorders in the Emotion and Development Branch, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, National Institute of Mental Health. While behavioral testing and fMRI are the core research techniques in the lab, we also use structural MRI, magnetoencephalography, and diffusion tensor imaging. An emerging focus is the integration of genotyping into our behavioral and imaging studies. In addition, we conduct pilot clinical trials of novel, mechanism-based treatments. Importantly, all of our research subjects receive careful clinical phenotyping and we strive to deliver state-of-the-art care. The Section conducts clinical research on youth with bipolar disorder (BD), those at familial risk for BD, and those with severe, impairing irritability (severe mood dysregulation, SMD; Leibenluft et al, 2003). Our interest in SMD stems from the questions that have arisen as to whether such irritability should be considered to be a pediatric form of mania. For each of our target populations, our goal is to elucidate the brain mechanisms mediating psychopathology in order to inform novel treatment approaches. To accomplish this, we employ an applied neuroscience approach i.e., we first use standardized behavioral paradigms to assess responses to emotion stimuli and related psychological functions (e.g., cognitive control, attentional processes) and then, when between-group differences are found, we use functional MRI (fMRI) to study the mediating neural circuitry. The Section takes a developmental approach, in that our work in youth at risk for BD includes children preschool age through adolescence, and we perform studies comparing adults and children with BD. Representative Selected Recent Publications: Baroni A, Lunsford JR, Luckenbaugh DA, Towbin KE, Leibenluft E: The assessment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents. (View PDF) Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 203-215, 2009. Brotman MA, Guyer AE, Lawson ES, Horsey SE, Rich BA, Dickstein DP, Pine DS, Leibenluft E.: Facial emotion labeling deficits in children and adolescents at risk for bipolar disorder. Am J Psychiatry, 165, 385-389, 2008. (View PDF) Leibenluft E, Rich BA, Vinton DT, Nelson EE, Fromm SJ, Berghorst LH, Joshi, P, Robb A, Schachar RJ, Dickstein DP, McClure EB, Pine DS: Neural circuitry engaged during unsuccessful motor inhibition in pediatric bipolar disorder vs. controls. Am J Psychiatry, 164, 309-317, 2007. (View PDF) Dickstein DP, Nelson EE, McClure EB, Grimley ME, Knopf LV, Brotman MA, Rich BA, Pine DS, Leibenluft, E: Cognitive flexibility in phenotypes of pediatric bipolar disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 46, 341-355, 2007. (View PDF) Rich BA, Schmajuk M, Perez-Edgar KE, Fox NA, Pine DS, Leibenluft E: Frustration elicits different psychophysiological and behavioral responses in pediatric bipolar disorder and severe mood dysregulation. Am J Psychiatry, 164, 309-317, 2007. (View PDF) Rich BA, Vinton DT, Roberson-Nay R, Hommer RE, McClure EB, Fromm SJ, Pine DS, Leibenluft E: Limbic hyperactivation during processing of neutral facial expressions in children with bipolar disorder. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 103, 8900-8905, 2006. (View PDF) Address: Dr. Ellen Leibenluft Section on Bipolar Spectrum Disorders Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, NIMH Building 15K -MSC 2670 Bethesda, MD 20892-2670 Phone: Office: 301-496-9435 Laboratory: 301-496-9435 Email Dr. Leibenluft FAX 301-402-6100 Lab Web Site: http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/mood/     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.