Zachary Z Freyberg, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Cell Biology

Current Appointments

  • Associate Director, Psychiatry Research Pathway

Areas of Expertise

  • Psychosis
  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Mood Disorders
  • Anxiety, OCD & Trauma Disorders
  • Older Adults
Zachary Z Freyberg, MD, PhD
Expertise & Interests Selected Publications Education & Credentials Related News

Expertise & Interests

Research Interests

Activity-dependent local translation in Alzheimers; Dopamine neuron vulnerability; aging & Parkinson's; Antipsychotic drug-induced metabolic syndrome

Clinical Interests

Antipsychotic drug-induced metabolic disorders; Mechanisms of antipsychotic drug actions

Education Interests

Medical, graduate student & resident education; Research mentorship

Selected Publications

  1. Enriquez-Traba J, Yarur-Castillo HE, Flores RJ, Weil T, Roy S, Usdin TB, LaGamma CT, Arenivar M, Wang H, Tsai VS, Moritz AE, Sibley DR, Moratalla R, Freyberg Z (Co-Corresponding Author), Tejeda HA. Dissociable control of motivation and reinforcement by distinct ventral striatal dopamine receptors. Nature Neuroscience 2025; 28(1):105-121. PMID: 39653808.
  2. Buck SA, Mabry SJ, Kunkhyen T, Yang Z, Rubin SA, Yang J, Cheetham CEJ, Freyberg Z. dVGLUT mediates sex differences in dopamine neuron mitochondrial function across aging and in a Parkinsons disease model. Aging Cell 2025; e70096. PMID: 40354193.
  3. Bonifazi A, Ellenberger M, Farino ZJ, Aslanoglou D, Rais R, Pereira S, Mantilla-Riva JO, Boateng CA, Eshleman AJ, Janowsky A, Hahn MK, Schwartz GJ, Slusher BS, Newman AH, Freyberg Z. Development of novel tools for dissection of central versus peripheral dopamine D2-like receptor signaling in dysglycemia. Diabetes 2024; 73(9): 1-16. PMID: 38869519.
  4. Carter SD, Hampton CM, Langlois R, Melero R, Farino ZJ, Li W, Calderon MJ, Wallace CT, Tran NH, Grassucci RA, Siegmund SE, Pemberton J, Morgenstern TJ, Aguilar JI, Greenberg NL, Levy ES, Yi E, Mitchell WG, Rice WJ, Wigge C, Pilli J, George EW, Aslanoglou D, Courel M, Freyberg RJ, Javitch JA, Area-Gomez E, Shiva S, Bartolini F, Volchuk A, Murray SA, Aridor M, Fish KN, Walter P, Balla T, Fass D, Wolf SG, Watkins SC, Carazo JM, Jensen GJ, Frank J, Freyberg Z. Ribosome-Associated Vesicles: A dynamic vesicular endoplasmic reticulum in secretory cells. Science Advances 2020; 6(14):eaay9572. PMID: 32270040.
  5. Aguilar JI, Dunn M, Mingote S, Karam CS, Farino ZJ, Sonders MS, Choi SJ, Grygoruk A, Zhang Y, Cela C, Choi BJ, Flores J, Freyberg RJ, McCabe BD, Mosharov EV, Krantz DE, Javitch JA, Sulzer D, Sames D, Rayport S, Freyberg Z. Neuronal depolarization drives increased dopamine synaptic vesicle loading via VGLUT. Neuron 2017; 95(5):1074-1088. PMID: 28823729.
  6. Smith ECC, Agarwal SM, Panganiban KJ, Maksyutynska K, Monteiro J, Lee J, Prasad F, Ji A, Shah D, Cavalier S, Prabhune RU, Radoncic E, Yang Z, Fuller K, McCarthy MJ, Prestwood TR, Ballon JS, Correll CU, Hahn MK, Freyberg Z. Antipsychotic drugs are associated with dysregulations in glucose homeostasis irrespective of medication type, dose, and treatment duration: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry 2025 Aug. PMID: 40864439.
  7. Freyberg Z, Andreazza AC, McClung CA, Phillips ML. Linking mitochondrial dysfunction, neurotransmitter, neural network abnormalities and mania: Elucidating neurobiological mechanisms of the therapeutic effect of the ketogenic diet in Bipolar Disorder. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 2024; 23:S2451-9022(24)00199-X. PMID: 39053576.
  8. Buck SA, Erickson-Oberg QM, Logan RW, Freyberg Z. Relevance of interactions between dopamine and glutamate neurotransmission in schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry 2022; 27(9):3583-3591. PMID: 35681081.
  9. Freyberg Z, Gittes GK. Roles of pancreatic islet catecholamine neurotransmitters in glycemic control and in antipsychotic drug-induced dysglycemia. Diabetes 2023; 72(1):3-15. PMID: 36538602.
  10. Freyberg Z, Ferrando SJ, Javitch JA. Roles of the Akt/GSK-3 and Wnt signaling pathways in schizophrenia and antipsychotic drug action. Am J Psychiatry 2010 Apr; 167(4): 388-396. PMID: 19917593.
  11. Pillinger T, Ehrenreich H, Freyberg Z, Hahn M, Mack M, Milaneschi Y, Perry B, Upthegrove R. Serious Mental Illness as a Multisystem Metabolic Disorder: From Brain to Body and Back Again, in: ngr D and Ford JM (eds.) Metabolic Neuropsychiatry, Strngmann Forum Reports (J R Lupp, series editor). 2025; Springer-Nature, Cham, Switzerland.
  12. Freyberg R, Freyberg Z. Behavioral and Social Sciences. in: Ferrando S, (ed.), Psychiatry-In-Review 2006. Educational Testing and Assessment Systems, NY, NY.
  13. Freyberg Z, Savitz A. Schizophrenia. in Ferrando S, (ed.), Psychiatry-In-Review 2006. Educational Testing and Assessment Systems, NY, NY.
  14. Freyberg Z. Schizophrenia and Violence. in: Barnhill J, (ed.), Approaching the Psychiatric Patient 1st Edition 2008. APA Press, Washington, D.C.

Education & Credentials

Education & Training

Education
MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Education
PhD, Developmental & Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residency
Psychiatry, Payne Whitney Clinic of New York Presbyterian Hospital, Cornell University
Postdoctoral
Schizophrenia Research, Columbia University

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
  • Member, Molecular Psychiatry Association
  • Member, Dopamine Society

Selected Honors & Awards

  • Elected Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
  • Elected Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation
  • A.E. Bennett Award for Basic Research, Society of Biological Psychiatry
  • Rising Star Research Award, Pittsburgh Foundation
  • Leon Levy Foundation Investigator Award, Leon Levy Foundation

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