Irina Esterlis, PhD
Professor of PsychiatryCards
About
Titles
Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Molecular Imaging Program, NCPTSD, VA; Director, Mood, Anxiety, and Cognitive Sciences Division
Biography
Irina Esterlis is a clinical neuropsychologist and neuroreceptor imager with extensive training in the application of SPECT and PET to the study of mental illness and comorbid disorders. Dr. Esterlis has developed two novel paradigms to interrogate both the acetylcholine and glutamatergic systems in vivo in human, and these are being currently applied to the study of mood and addiction disorders. She has received awards from Society of Nuclear Medicine, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Esterlis' current work includes the study of the metabotropic glutamatergic receptor involvement in bipolar depression and suicide, as well as the effects of depression on synaptic aging. Dr. Esterlis is also initiating new work in the study of neurotransmitter alterations in adolescent depression and suicidality.
Appointments
Psychiatry
ProfessorPrimaryRadiology & Biomedical Imaging
Associate Professor on TermSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Center for Nicotine and Tobacco Use Research at Yale (CENTURY)
- Division of Women's Behavioral Health Research
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
- MR Center
- Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP)
- Neuroscience Track
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
- Psychiatric Symptoms in Neurology Research Program
- Psychiatry
- Psychology Section
- Radiology & Biomedical Imaging
- Translational Brain Imaging Program
- VA National Center for PTSD
- WHRY Pilot Project Program Investigators
- Women's Health Research at Yale
- Wu Tsai Institute
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- PhD
- University of Connecticut (2005)
- MA
- University of Connecticut (2003)
- BA
- SUNY Buffalo (1999)
Research
Overview
Examination of the beta2-nAChR system in bipolar depression and relevance to the persistent tobacco smoking.
Imaging glutamatergic system in depression via PET and MRS to determine role of glutamate and mGluR5 in depression and associated cognitive difficulties.
Imaging ACh changes in the brain in living humans.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Links & Media
News
- August 23, 2024
Microglia-Mediated Neuroimmune Suppression in PTSD Is Associated With Anhedonia
- November 28, 2023Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Perspective
Ketamine and the Neurobiology of Depression: Toward Next-generation Rapid-acting Antidepressant Treatments
- September 19, 2023
Investigators Launch Study Aimed at Accelerating Understanding of Bipolar Disorder
- May 22, 2023
Support for Ukraine's trauma victims