Candidate: Dr. Goff completed postgraduate training in 1985 and started the Schizophrenia Program of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) with an NIMH """"""""Faculty Scholar Award in Schizophrenia"""""""" in 1988. He is currently Director of the Freedom Trail Clinic and the MGH Schizophrenia Research Program. His receipt of a K24 award in 2001 allowed him to reduce clinical and administrative effort from 30 hour/week to 10 hours/week. During the period of the award he has mentored nine fellows and eight junior faculty members, while continuing to build an integrated translational research program focused on the development of glutamatergic agents utilizing pharmacology, neuroimaging, genetics and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Environment: Dr. Goff s group has ample space and access to schizophrenia subjects at the Freedom Trail Clinic and a network of mental health clinics for recruitment of research subjects in the greater Boston area. He works closely with the MGH Neuroimaging group, the MGH Biostatistics Unit, the MGH Amino Acid Laboratory, the MGH/ Partners Genetics Research Program, and the Harvard/MIT Broad Institute for Genomics Research. Dr. Goff also has full access to the MGH General Clinical Research Center and Laboratory. Dr. Goff has full institutional commitment from Dr. Jerrold Rosenbaum (Chief of Psychiatry, MGH) ensuring protected time and resources to accomplish research and mentoring goals. Research: Dr. Goff's research plan involves continuation of his study of glutamatergic agents in schizophrenia. He will devote the period of the career development award to the problem of tachyphylaxis with agents acting at the glycine site of the NMDA receptor, including characterizing cognitive effects of single dose administration and repeated dosing following a frequency of administration designed to minimize tolerance. He will also study agents that target intracellular pathways """"""""downstream"""""""" of the NMDA receptor to avoid tolerance formation. Finally, he will pursue, in first episode patients, promising results from a large add-on trial with lamotrigine (an inhibitor of glutamate release with neuroprotective properties). As effective pharmacologic approaches are developed, he will utilize genetics and neuroimaging as biomarkers and predictors of response, and will combine CBT with cognitive enhancing agents to maximize functional and symptomatic improvement. Dr. Goff will also continue his mentoring activities as he guides the career development of junior faculty researchers in his group as well as residents and research fellows working on research projects under his direction.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24)
Project #
5K24MH002025-10
Application #
8065363
Study Section
Interventions Committee for Disorders Related to Schizophrenia, Late Life, or Personality (ITSP)
Program Officer
Chavez, Mark
Project Start
2000-12-01
Project End
2012-03-31
Budget Start
2011-05-01
Budget End
2012-03-31
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$188,307
Indirect Cost
Name
Massachusetts General Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
073130411
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02199
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Roffman, Joshua L; Brohawn, David G; Nitenson, Adam Z et al. (2013) Genetic variation throughout the folate metabolic pathway influences negative symptom severity in schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 39:330-8
Cather, Corinne; Dyer, Michael A; Burrell, Heather A et al. (2013) An Open Trial of Relapse Prevention Therapy for Smokers With Schizophrenia. J Dual Diagn 9:87-93
Goff, Donald C (2012) D-cycloserine: an evolving role in learning and neuroplasticity in schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 38:936-41
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Gottlieb, Jennifer D; Cather, Corinne; Shanahan, Meghan et al. (2011) D-cycloserine facilitation of cognitive behavioral therapy for delusions in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 131:69-74
Goff, Donald C; Hill, Michele; Barch, Deanna (2011) The treatment of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 99:245-53
Roffman, Joshua L; Brohawn, David G; Friedman, Jesse S et al. (2011) MTHFR 677C>T effects on anterior cingulate structure and function during response monitoring in schizophrenia: a preliminary study. Brain Imaging Behav 5:65-75
Hill, Michele; Shannahan, Kelsey; Jasinski, Sarah et al. (2011) Folate supplementation in schizophrenia: a possible role for MTHFR genotype. Schizophr Res 127:41-5

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