Request Expert

Expert's training in psychiatry has focused on biological psychiatry (the biological basis of psychopathology) and on psychopharmacology. He currently directs the Developmental Biopsychiatry Research Program and the Laboratory of Developmental Psychopharmacology at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School. He has a broad understanding of the biological basis and psychopharmacological treatment of the major psychiatric disorders. However, his particular expertise is in the biological basis and pharmacological treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from childhood abuse. He has successfully utilized neuroimaging methods to identify regional brain abnormalities associated with these disorders. He has developed new methods for diagnosing these disorders that have been patented, FDA-cleared, and licensed. His work in this area has been funded by the NIH, pharmaceutical companies, charitable foundations, medical device manufacturers and private donors. He has also received method and use patents for new pharmaceutical agents that have been licensed and undergone clinical trial testing.

The diagnosis, neurobiology and treatment of ADHD is a leading area of specialty interest f. He was one of the first individuals to publish functional MRI findings in ADHD, and he has developed an FDA-cleared medical device that aids in the assessment of children, adolescent and adults with ADHD. He is the inventor on several patents related to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. His research on ADHD often involves a treatment component with methylphenidate, and he is an expert in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methylphenidate.

The neurobiology and treatment of depression has been a long-standing interest of Expert. He has conducted studies of depression across the lifespan with funding from the NIMH and NARSAD. Although he is well-versed in the area, he is particularly well-known for his expertise in seasonal affective disorder. One of Expert's major contribution was to publish the first report indicating an association between treatment with SSRIs and emergence of suicidal ideation. He has provided a thoughtful analysis of factors that underlie this association. He also is an inventor on a patent for the use of R(-) fluoxetine in the treatment of depression, recognizing early on that the enantiomers of fluoxetine differed substantially in metabolism, duration of action, and degree of anxiogenic effects.

Expert was the first investigator to advance the idea that childhood abuse or adversity exerts its deleterious effects by altering trajectories of brain development. He has published extensively on the effects of exposure to multiple forms of adversity such as childhood sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence, parental verbal abuse, and exposure to harsh corporal punishment. These studies have been supported by federal research grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Drug Abuse. He lectures world-wide on this topic.

Expert has been involved as the lead investigator in several studies assessing the accuracy of medical devices used to aid in the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. These include both devices he has invented and licensed, and devices created by other individuals or companies. He is quite familiar with FDA procedures for the regulatory clearance of medical devices in the psychiatric area.

Expert has had a long-standing interest in dopamine as a neurotransmitter, development of the dopamine system, and drugs that affect dopamine. He has received several grants from the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct preclinical research on dopamine system development, and has published extensively in this area.

Expert has a long-standing interest in dose-response analysis, writing one of the first programs for personal computer that provided a state-of-the art analysis of pharmacodynamic effects. He also wrote one of the first programs for analyzing biphasic dose-response curves. This program was used in a classic paper by Baldessarini, Cohen and Expert that indicated the benefits of low-to-moderate doses of antipsychotic doses, and the anti-therapeutic effects that emerge at high doses. He has consulted to individuals and companies regarding the analysis of dose-response data.

He is currently serving as an expert witness to a law firm working on a patent priority claim, providing expertise on the dosing and pharmacokinetics of the antidepressant agent in question.He has served as a consultant to the following pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding design of research studies. Copley Pharmaceuticals (1997-99)
Watson Pharmaceuticals (1997-98); Sepracor (1998-2002); Sention (2004-2006)
He is currently serving as a consultant to medical device manufacturers and their representative regarding design of research studies, data analysis and presentation of clinical trial data to the FDA.He has served as a consultant to investment groups seeking to ascertain need and perceived value of new medications, drug delivery systems, and medical devices.He has consulted to law firms regarding product liability cases related to the safety of medications.