Ned Kalin
MD, Jefferson Medical College
Professor, Psychiatry

Contact Information:
UW-Madison
UW Psychiatric Institute And Clinics
6001 Research Park Blvd
Madison, WI 53719
Phone: (608) 263-6079
Email: nkalin@facstaff.wisc.edu
Web: Department of Psychology

Research Statement

My laboratory is investigating the neurobiological basis of fear, anxiety, and depression at preclinical and clinical levels. One of the strengths of our approach is that we are working across a variety of technologies (molecular, preclinical animal models including primates, and human functional brain imaging) to maximize our ability to understand the neural circuitry underlying normal as well as pathological emotional states. At a molecular level, we have cloned key promoter regions of a family of genes (Coricotropin releasing hormone receptors) that are critical in integrating the stress response at behavioral, emotional, autonomic, and endocrine levels. We are in the process of understanding mechanisms that regulate the expression of these genes. In preclinical animal models, we are working with rodents and have recently established that a specific receptor (CRH-R2) located in the lateral septum is critical in mediating behavioral responses induced by stress and associated with fear. In nonhuman primates, we are examining behavioral and physiological correlates of human anxiety. We have identified a fearful endophenotype that is characterized by high levels of trait anxiety, a specific pattern of prefrontal brain electrical activity, and increased levels of stress hormones in the blood and in the brain. We have developed new techniques to selectively lesion the primate amygdala and these studies have provided new insights into the role of the amygdala in mediating acute fearful responses as compared to states of long term anxiety. Finally, we are involved in a series of functional imaging studies examining the neural circuits that are altered in patients with generalized anxiety disorder and depression. Using functional MRI, we are scanning patients prior to, during, and after successful treatment. Taken together, these studies are providing new ideas related to the genesis of psychopathology as well as new insights regarding effective treatments.

Representative Publications

Nitschke JB, Sarinopoulos I, Oathes DJ, Johnstone T, Whalen PJ, Davidson RJ, Kalin NH. (2009). Anticipatory activation in the amygdala and anterior cingulate in generalized anxiety disorder and prediction of treatment response. The American Journal of Psychiatry. Mar;166(3):302-10.

Putnam KM, Pizzagalli DA, Gooding DC, Kalin NH, Davidson RJ. (2008) Neural activity and diurnal variation of cortisol: evidence from brain electrical tomography analysis and relevance to anhedonia. Psychophysiology. 2008 Nov;45(6):886-95.

Fox AS, Shelton SE, Oakes TR, Davidson RJ, Kalin NH. (2008) Trait-like brain activity during adolescence predicts anxious temperament in primates. Public Library of Science ONE. Jul 2;3(7):e2570.

Kalin NH, Shelton SE, Fox AS, Rogers J, Oakes TR, Davidson RJ. (2008) The serotonin transporter genotype is associated with intermediate brain phenotypes that depend on the context of eliciting stressor. Molecular Psychiatry. Nov;13(11):1021-7.

Nanda SA, Qi C, Roseboom PH, Kalin NH. (2008) Predator stress induces behavioral inhibition and amygdala somatostatin receptor 2 gene expression.Genes, Brain and Behavior. 2008 Aug;7(6):639-48.

Rogers J, Shelton SE, Shelledy W, Garcia R, Kalin NH. (2008) Genetic influences on behavioral inhibition and anxiety in juvenile rhesus macaques. Genes, Brain and Behavior. 2008 Jun;7(4):463-9.