George Aghajanian
George K. Aghajanian is an Emeritus Foundations Fund Professor at the Yale School of Medicine,[1] New Haven, Connecticut, in the Department of Psychiatry. He has been a pioneer in the area of neuropharmacology. He has also served as a member of NARSAD Scientific Advisory Board.[2]
George Aghajanian | |
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Born | Beirut, Lebanon | 14 April 1932
Alma mater |
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Scientific career | |
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Institutions | Yale School of Medicine |
Early life and education
George Aghajanian was born on 14 April 1932 in Beirut, Lebanon. He received his B.A. from Cornell University, followed by his Doctor of Medicine at Yale University.
Research and career
Aghajanian did his research on the actions of LSD by which it produces hallucinations in the brain,[3] and he has also uncovered the therapeutic mechanism of atypical antipsychotic drugs.[4] He also found that application of serotonin (5-HT)[5] produces an increase in the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic potentials in layer V pyramidal cells of the neocortex and transitional cortex by whole-cell recording in rat brain slices. He did research on the structure and mechanism of psychotropic drugs and neurotransmitters.[6]
He was a medical officer in the United States Army in the starting days of his career.[7] He served different positions at the Yale School of Medicine, including Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, Foundations Fund Professor of research in Psychiatry.[8]
Awards and honors
Aghajanian received the CINP Pioneer Award from the International College of Neuropsychopharmacology.[9] He also received the Lieber Prize for research on schizophrenia.[10] Additional awards include the Daniel H. Efron Research Award and the Julius Axelrod Mentorship Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology,[11][12] the Scheele Award from the Swedish Academy of Pharmacy,[13] and the Heffter Award from the Heffter Research Institute,[14] and election to the National Academy of Medicine.[15]
Selected publications
- George K Aghajanian: Modeling "psychosis" in vitro by inducing disordered neuronal network activity in cortical brain slices. Psychopharmacology.[16]
- George Aghajanian, Benjamin S Bunney, and Philip S Holzman: Patricia Goldman-Rakic, 1937–2003. Neuropsychopharmacology.[17]
- George K Aghajanian and Gerard J Marek: Serotonin model of schizophrenia: emerging role of glutamate mechanisms. Brain Research Reviews.[18]
- George K Aghajanian and Gerard J Marek: Serotonin–Glutamate Interactions: A New Target for Antipsychotic Drugs. Neuropsychopharmacology.[19]
- George K.Aghajanian and Gerard J Marek: Serotonin, via 5-HT2A receptors, increases EPSCs in layer V pyramidal cells of prefrontal cortex by an asynchronous mode of glutamate release. Brain Research.[20]
- Ronald S Duman, George K Aghajanian, Gerard Sanacora, and John H Krystal: Synaptic plasticity and depression: new insights from stress and rapid-acting antidepressants. Nature Medicine.[21]
- Ronald S Duman and George K Aghajanian: Neurobiology of Rapid Acting Antidepressants: Role of BDNF and GSK-3β. Neuropsychopharmacology.[22]
- Ronald S. Duman and George K. Aghajanian: Synaptic Dysfunction in Depression: Potential Therapeutic Targets. Science.[23]
References
- "George Aghajanian, MD". Yale School of Medicine. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "Young Investigator Grant Program" (PDF).
- "PsycNET". psycnet.apa.org. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- Gerard J. Marek; Aghajanian, George K. (1999). "Serotonin–Glutamate Interactions: A New Target for Antipsychotic Drugs". Neuropsychopharmacology. 21 (2): S122–S133. doi:10.1016/S0893-133X(99)00106-2. ISSN 1740-634X.
- Aghajanian, G. K; Marek, G. J (1 April 1997). "Serotonin Induces Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials in Apical Dendrites of Neocortical Pyramidal Cells". Neuropharmacology. 36 (4): 589–599. doi:10.1016/S0028-3908(97)00051-8. ISSN 0028-3908. PMID 9225284.
- Psychotropic drugs and neurotransmitters, retrieved 2 September 2019
- Medical school, military service and lsd, retrieved 2 September 2019
- "George Aghajanian, MD". Yale School of Medicine. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "Psychiatry@Yale June 2017". myemail.constantcontact.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "George K. Aghajanian, M.D." Yale School of Medicine. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "Daniel H. Efron Research Previous Award Winners". ACNP. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "Julius Axelrod Mentorship Previous Award Winners". ACNP. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "Former Laurates". Apotekarsocieteten. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- "Report from the Heffter Research Institute". maps.org. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- "George K. Aghajanian, M.D." National Academy of Medicine. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- Aghajanian, George K. (1 November 2009). "Modeling "psychosis" in vitro by inducing disordered neuronal network activity in cortical brain slices". Psychopharmacology. 206 (4): 575–585. doi:10.1007/s00213-009-1484-9. ISSN 1432-2072. PMC 2755104. PMID 19241062.
- Holzman, Philip S.; Bunney, Benjamin S.; Aghajanian, George (2003). "Patricia Goldman-Rakic, 1937–2003". Neuropsychopharmacology. 28 (12): 2218–2220. doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1300325. ISSN 1740-634X.
- Aghajanian, George K; Marek, Gerard J (1 March 2000). "Serotonin model of schizophrenia: emerging role of glutamate mechanisms". Brain Research Reviews. 31 (2): 302–312. doi:10.1016/S0165-0173(99)00046-6. ISSN 0165-0173. PMID 10719157.
- Gerard J. Marek; Aghajanian, George K. (1999). "Serotonin–Glutamate Interactions: A New Target for Antipsychotic Drugs". Neuropsychopharmacology. 21 (2): S122–S133. doi:10.1016/S0893-133X(99)00106-2. ISSN 1740-634X.
- Aghajanian, George K.; Marek, Gerard J. (17 April 1999). "Serotonin, via 5-HT2A receptors, increases EPSCs in layer V pyramidal cells of prefrontal cortex by an asynchronous mode of glutamate release". Brain Research. 825 (1): 161–171. doi:10.1016/S0006-8993(99)01224-X. ISSN 0006-8993. PMID 10216183.
- Krystal, John H.; Gerard Sanacora; Aghajanian, George K.; Duman, Ronald S. (2016). "Synaptic plasticity and depression: new insights from stress and rapid-acting antidepressants". Nature Medicine. 22 (3): 238–249. doi:10.1038/nm.4050. ISSN 1546-170X. PMC 5405628. PMID 26937618.
- George K. Aghajanian; Duman, Ronald S. (2014). "Neurobiology of Rapid Acting Antidepressants: Role of BDNF and GSK-3β". Neuropsychopharmacology. 39 (1): 233. doi:10.1038/npp.2013.217. ISSN 1740-634X. PMC 3857657. PMID 24317309.
- Duman, Ronald S.; Aghajanian, George K. (5 October 2012). "Synaptic Dysfunction in Depression: Potential Therapeutic Targets". Science. 338 (6103): 68–72. doi:10.1126/science.1222939. ISSN 0036-8075. PMC 4424898. PMID 23042884.