Faculty

Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Program for Genetics and Psychoses
Assistant
Wesesky, Maribeth
weseskyma@upmc.edu

Education & Training

MD
Madras University, Christian Medical College
PhD
Neuropharmacology, University of Oxford, Faculty of Medicine
Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Community Health, Christian Medical College
Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Psychiatry, Maudsley Hospital, London, United Kingdom
Biochemistry, University of London, United Kingdom
Biochemistry, University of London, United Kingdom

Specialty Certifications

Board Certification
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Current Appointments

Director, Program for Genetics and Psychosis

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Member, Society of Biological Psychiatry
Member, International Society of Psychiatric Genetics
Member, American Society of Human Genetics
Member, Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK

Selected Honors & Awards

International Mentorship Award, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Sir Dennis Hill Prize for Best Psychiatric Resident, Maudsley Hospital, Institute of Psychiatry, United Kingdom
Rhodes Scholarship, Rhodes Trust, India

Research Interests

Genetic/environmental roots of cognitive variables; Cellular models for psychosis; Neurovirology
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Ganapathiraju MK, Bhatia T, Deshpande S, Wesesky M, Wood J, Nimgaonkar VL. (2024). Schizophrenia interactome-derived repurposable drugs and eandomized controlled trials of rwo xandidates. Biol Psychiatry. 96(8):651-658. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.06.022. Epub 2024 Jun 29. PMID: 38950808.
  2. Kuo SS, Musket CW, Rupert PE, Almasy L, Gur RC, Prasad KM, Roalf DR, Gur RE, Nimgaonkar VL, Pogue-Geile MF. Age-dependent patterns of schizophrenia genetic risk affect cognition. Schizophr Res. 2022 Aug;246:39-48. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.05.012. Epub 2022 Jun 13. PMID: 35709646.
  3. Bhatia T, Kumari N, Yadav A, Beniwal RP, Shah G, Joel W, Jones JR, Iyenger S, Nimgaonkar VL, DeshpandeSN. Feasibility, acceptability and evaluation of meditation to augment yoga practice among persons diagnosed withschizophrenia. Acta Neuropsychiatr. 2022 May 19:1-14. doi: 10.1017/neu.2022.14. Epub ahead of print. PMID:35586878.
  4. Zheng W, Benner EM, Bloom DC, Muralidaran V, Caldwell JK, Prabhudesai A, Piazza PA, Wood J, KinchingtonPR, Nimgaonkar VL, D'Aiuto L (2022) Variations in aspects of neural precursor cell neurogenesis in a human model of HSV-1 infection, Organogenesis, 18:1, 2055354, DOI: 10.1080/15476278.2022.2055354. PMID:35384798; PMCID: PMC8993067.
  5. Prasad KM, Eack SM, Keshavan MS, Yolken RH, Iyengar S, Nimgaonkar VL. (2013) Antiherpes virus specific treatment and cognition in schizophrenia: A test-of-concept randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 39(4):857-66. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbs040. Epub 2012 Mar 23. PMID: 22446565, PMCID: PMC3686443.

Clinical Interests

Treatment of psychotic disorders; Treatment of cognitive disorders; Translational virology

Education Interests

Research mentorship; International research training/mentorship; Medical student & resident mentorship

Neurobiology of Disease: Phosphorylated-tau Associates with HSV-1 Chromatin and Correlates with Nuclear Speckles Decondensation in Low-Density Host Chromatin Regions

Leonardo D'Aiuto, PhD

Abnormal tau phosphorylation is a key pathophysiological mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. In addition to genetic and environmental factors, infectious agents, such as Herpes Simplex Virus 1, may be associated with the onset or progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. However, outstanding questions remain regarding the contribution of viruses in the etiology of...

JAMA Psychiatry: Genetic Variants Are Associated with Risk for Bipolar Disorder

Birmaher et al. JAMA Psychiatry 2021

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a familial illness that is associated with functional impairment and increased risk for suicide and substance use. The disorder is highly heritable, and research has identified many common genetic variants associated with risk for the disorder. Studies including the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS) have found that offspring of parents with BD are at elevated, specific risk to...

Behavioral Health Clinicians, Researchers, Patients and Families Gather Virtually for the 38th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference

Behavioral Health Clinicians, Researchers, Patients and Families Gather Virtually for the 38th Annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference

The annual Pittsburgh Schizophrenia Conference, now in its 38th year, presents the latest clinical and research findings to an audience of psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, psychologists, service coordinators, researchers, and mental health policy administrators, as well as to patients and families. Conference course director K.N. Roy Chengappa, MD (Professor of Psychiatry) leads UPMC Western Psychiatric...

Now in Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: New Research on Insomnia in Older Adults

Wilkens & Colleagues Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 2020

Many older adults experience sleep difficulties associated with insomnia. Difficulties with staying asleep are thought to arise partially from reduced sleep depth. Sleep depth can be operationalized as low frequency slow-wave (.5-4 Hz) electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during sleep. However, studies to date have not shown a consistent pattern of EEG differences between individuals with and without insomnia...

Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, MD, PhD, Assumes Behavioral Health Leadership Role at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

Dr. Vishwajit Nimgaonkar

Congratulations to Dr. Vishwajit Nimgaonkar, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Genetics… and now, Associate Chief of Staff for Behavioral Health at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System! Dr. Nimgaonkar assumes his new role today, May 13, 2019. Dr. Nimgaonkar is the director of the Program for Genetics and Psychoses, where he seeks to identify genetic and environmental factors that can increase the risk for...