Faculty

Fabio Ferrarelli, MD, PhD

Fabio Ferrarelli, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
PyNeL

Education & Training

MD
Catholic University of Sacred Heart, School of Medicine
PhD
Neuroscience, Catholic University of Sacred Heart
Psychiatry, Western Psychiatry Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Current Appointments

Director, Sleep and Schizophrenia Program

Selected Honors & Awards

Outstanding Resident Award, National Institute of Mental Health
Rising Star Award, Pittsburgh Foundation

Research Interests

Biomarkers of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders; Sleep oscillations (EEG); Neuromodulation (TMS, TBS, tFUS)
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Castelnovo A, D'Agostino A, Mayeli A, Albantakis L, Tononi G, Ferrarelli F. Sleep spindle abnormalities as neurophysiological biomarkers of Schizophrenia spectrum disorders: From cellular mechanisms and neural circuits to clinical implications. Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 25: S0006-3223(25)01274-0. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.06.014. Online ahead of print.
  2. Keihani A, Donati FL, Janssen SA, Huston CA, Moon CH, Hetherington HP, Wilson JD, Mayeli A, Ferrarelli F. Multimodal evidence of mediodorsal thalamus-prefrontal circuit dysfunctions in clinical high-risk for psychosis: findings from a combined 7T fMRI, MRSI and sleep Hd-EEG study. Mol Psychiatry. 2025 Aug;30(8):3384-3392. doi: 10.1038/s41380-025-02924-2. Epub 2025 Feb 15.
  3. Donati FL, Mayeli A, Nascimento Couto BA, Sharma K, Janssen S, Krafty RJ, Casali AG, Ferrarelli F. Prefrontal oscillatory slowing in early-course schizophrenia Is associated with worse cognitive performance and negative Symptoms: A Transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography study. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2025 Feb;10(2):158-166. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.07.013. Epub 2024 Jul 25.
  4. Mayeli A, LaGoy AD, Smagula SF, Wilson JD, Zarbo C, Rocchetti M, Starace F, Zamparini M, Casiraghi L, Calza S, Rota M, D'Agostino A, de Girolamo G; DiAPAson Consortium; Ferrarelli F. Shared and distinct abnormalities in sleep-wake patterns and their relationship with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorder patients. Mol Psychiatry. 2023 May;28(5):2049-2057. doi: 10.1038/s41380-023-02050-x. Epub 2023 Apr 14. PMID: 37055512
  5. Bagautdinova J, Mayeli A, Wilson JD, Donati FL, Colacot RM, Meyer N, Fusar-Poli P, Ferrarelli F. Sleep abnormalities in different clinical stages of psychosis: A systematic review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2023 Mar 1;80(3):202-210. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.4599. PMID: 36652243

Clinical Interests

Early course psychosis; Sleep disturbances in psychiatric disorders; Interventional psychiatry
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Mayeli A, Donati F, Ferrarelli F (2024): Altered sleep oscillations as neurophysiological biomarkers of schizophrenia. Adv. Neurobiology, Vol. 40, Daniel Javitt and James McPartland (Eds): Neurophysiologic Biomarkers in Neuropsychiatric Disorders.
  2. DAgostino A, Castelnovo A, Ferrarelli F (2022): Sleep and schizophrenia. In Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine, 7th Edition, by Kryger & Roth & Dement. Elsevier editor.
  3. Ferrarelli F & Tononi G (2020): Sleep oscillations and psychiatric disorders. In Dang-Vu & Courtemanche (Eds.) Neuronal oscillations of Wakefulness and Sleep (chapter 10). Springer Science+Business.
  4. Kaskie RE, Ferrarelli F. Investigating the neurobiology of schizophrenia and other major psychiatric disorders with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Schizophr Res. 2017 May 3. PMID: 28478887
  5. Sprecher KE, Ferrarelli F, Benca RM. Sleep and plasticity in schizophrenia. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2015; 25: 433-58. PMID: 25608723

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Medical student & resident education

Pitt Psychiatry’s 2025 Research Day, Part I: A Celebration of Science

Research Day Attendees

The 23rd annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day, held on June 12, 2025, was the most highly attended Research Day ever, with 653 faculty members, trainees, and staff gathering at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Lunchtime Roundtables More than 300 individuals participated in or facilitated one of 30 roundtable discussion groups focused on topics including...

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