Dual Diagnosis

Biography

My research focuses on the relations between neuroplasticity and neurotransmission that can be revealed by mapping radioligand binding and the neuroplastic changes of brain functions. The investigations explore the relation between energy metabolism and neurotransmission by recording the changes of energy metabolism and consciousness under pharmacological and other manipulations. I use PET to understand 1) the synthesis of radioligand and tracer molecules that match the neurotransmitter molecules and the behavior of these transmitters under different functional conditions of the brain, normal as well as pathological, and 2) the spatial and temporal relations among changes of cerebral blood flow, which is commonly used as a measure of brain work, and the cerebral oxygen consumption rate, which is the precise measure of this work. My collaborations focus on experiments with volunteer subjects and patients that explore the lesions and degeneration of brain in disorders such as epilepsy, ludomania, Parkinson's disease, stroke, depression, and somatization disorders, as well as disorders related to addiction. Experiments explore the restructuring of neuronal networks that follows when sensory activity is processed by healthy subjects or volunteers suffering from inborn or acquired lesions.

Research Interest

Brain Energetics. Integration of Molecular and Cellular Processs.