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Ritsner Michael Clinical Associate Professor

Michael Ritsner

Alma Mater

M.D., High Medical School, Khabarovsk State University, Russia
Ph.D., Psychiatry. Tomsk State University, Russia
D.Sc., Psychiatry & Genetics, Moscow, Russia

Main Research Area

Biomarkers in neuropsychiatry
The role of neurosteroids in schizophrenia
Novel neuroprotective treatments
Quality of life impairment in mental disorders

Research projects

1. The effect of add-on oral dehydroepiandrosterone to stable ongoing antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia patients. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled, crossover trial (Grant # 02T-229; the Stanley Medical Research Institute, USA, 2003-2005).
2. Safety and efficacy of add-on oral of add-on oral bexarotene to antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia patients: an open label (Grant # 05T-648; the Stanley Medical Research Institute, USA; 2006-2007).
3. Can the cortisol to DHEA ratio be used as a peripheral biological marker for schizophrenia? State and trait related predictors of cortisol to DHEA(S) molar ratios (funded by The Public Committee for the Designation of Estate Funds the Ministry of Justice, Israel; 2005-2007).
4. The value of augmenting L-Theanine in the management of schizophrenia: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (Grant # 06TGF-911; the Stanley Medical Research Institute, USA, 2006-2008).
5. Efficacy and safety of pregnenolone augmentation in the management of schizophrenia patients:  a randomized, double-blind DHEA- and placebo-controlled trial.
6. Bexarotene augmentation of antipsychotic treatment for chronic schizophrenia: a 6-week, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter trial (Grant 07TAF-1097, Stanley Fundation, 2007).
7. Health related quality of life of patients suffering from schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders: 10 years follow-up study (2008)

External cooperation

The Massachusetts Mental Health Center Academic Division of Public Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, USA (Dr. Ann B. Goodman).
Division of Psychiatry, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Faculty of Health Sciences Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er-Sheva, Israel (Vladimir Lerner, Chanoch Miodownik).
Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Felsenstein Medical Research Center, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tikva, Israel, and Research Unit, Geha Psychiatric Hospital, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel (Rachel Maayan, Abraham Weizman).
Beer Yaakov Mental Health Center, Beer Yaakov, Israel, and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel (Rael D. Strous).
Associate Editor, Quality of Life Research.  An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation. Official Journal of the International Society of Quality of Life Research.  Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Journal articles

Chapters and reviews in books and proceedings

Ritsner MS
Novel Neuroprotective Agents for Schizophrenia: Neurosteroids, memantine, bexarotene and L-theanine
New Hope for Mental Disturbances., Edited by Lerner V., Miodownik, C. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. New York, Chapter 7, 2009 2009

Ritsner, M., Kurs, R.
Quality-of-life impairment in severe mental illness: focus on schizoaffective disorders.
Schizoaffective Disorder: New Research. Ed. William H. Murray, NOVA Publishers, NY, Chapter 3, pp. 69-107. 2009. 2009

Molecular genetics of schizophrenia: focus on symptom dimensions.
The Handbook of Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers, Endophenotypes and Genes Edited by Michael S. Ritsner. Springer, Vol IV, pp. 95-124, 2009. 2009

Ritsner MS, and Gottesman I.
Where do we stand in the quest for neuropsychiatric biomarkers and endophenotypes and what next?
In: The Handbook of Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers, Endophenotypes and Genes, Volume 1: Neuropsychological Endophenotypes and Biomarkers (MS Ritsner, ed.), pp 3-21. New York: Springer (20 May 2009). 2009

Gallagher P., and Ritsner MS.
Can the cortisol to DHEA molar ratio be used as a peripheral biomarker for schizophrenia and mood disorders?
The Handbook of Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers, Endophenotypes and Genes Edited by Michael S. Ritsner. Springer, Vol III, pp. 27-45, 2009. 2009

Ritsner MS
Dehydroepiandrosterone Administration in Treating Medical and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: High Hopes, Disappointing Results, and Topics for Future Research
Neuroactive Steroids in Brain Function, Behavior and Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Novel Strategies for Research and Treatment. Michael S. Ritsner, and Abraham Weizman, Editors. Springer, pp.337-368. 2008

Ritsner MS, Gibel A, Ratner Y, Weizman A.
Dehydroepiandrosterone and Pregnenolone Alterations in Schizophrenia
Neuroactive Steroids in Brain Function, Behavior and Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Novel Strategies for Research and Treatment. Michael S. Ritsner, and Abraham Weizman, Editors. Springer, pp.251-298. 2008

Ritsner MS, Gibel A.
Quality of life impairment syndrome in schizophrenia.
Quality of Life Impairment in Schizophrenia, Mood and Anxiety Disorders. New Perspectives on Research and Treatment. Ritsner, Michael S.; Awad, A. George (Eds.), Springer, 2007, 173-226. 2007

Ritsner MS.
Comparison of instruments for measuring quality of life impairment syndrome in severe mental disorders: Q-LES-Q versus QLS and LQOLP.
Quality of Life Impairment in Schizophrenia, Mood and Anxiety Disorders. New Perspectives on Research and Treatment. Ritsner, Michael S.; Awad, A. George (Eds.), Springer, 2007, 133-142. 2007

Ritsner MS.
The Distress/Protection Vulnerability Model of the quality of life impairment syndrome: current evidence and new directions for research.
Quality of Life Impairment in Schizophrenia, Mood and Anxiety Disorders. New Perspectives on Research and Treatment. Ritsner, Michael S.; Awad, A. George (Eds.), Springer, 2007, 3-19. 2007

Books edited

Michael S Ritsner
Brain Protection in Schizophrenia, Mood and Cognitive Disorders,
Springer-Verlag New York Pub. Date: March 01, 2010

Michael S Ritsner
The Handbook of Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers, Endophenotypes and Genes: Volume IV:
Molecular Genetic and Genomic Markers. May 2009, 232pp.
Springer-Verlag New York 2009

Michael S Ritsner
The Handbook of Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers, Endophenotypes and Genes, Volume 3:
Metabolic and Peripheral Biomarkers. May 2009, 231pp.
Springer-Verlag New York 2009

Michael S Ritsner
The Handbook of Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers, Endophenotypes and Genes: Volume II:
Neuroanatomical and Neuroimaging Endophenotypes and Biomarkers, May 2009, 244pp
Springer-Verlag New York 2009

Michael S. Ritsner
The Handbook of Neuropsychiatric Biomarkers, Endophenotypes and Genes. Vol. I,
Neuropsychological Endophenotypes and Biomarkers, May 2009, 231pp
Springer-Verlag New York 2009

Ritsner, Michael S.; Weizman, Abraham (Eds.)
Neuroactive Steroids in Brain Function, Behavior and Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Novel
Strategies for Research and Treatment
Springer, 2008, XX, 564 p. 50 illus., Hardcover, ISBN: 978-1-4020-6853-9
http://www.springer.com/medicine/internal/book/978-1-4020-6853-9 2008

Ritsner, Michael S.; Awad, A. George
Quality of Life Impairment in Schizophrenia, Mood and Anxiety Disorders. New Perspectives
on Research and Treatment.
Springer, 2007, 388 p. ISBN: 978-1-4020-5777-9
http://www.springer.com/medicine/psychiatry/book/978-1-4020-5777-
9?detailsPage=otherBooks&CIPageCounter=CI_MORE_BOOKS_BY_AUTHOR1
2007