Key Documents
Greer Murphy M.D., Ph.D.
Contact Information
- Clinical Offices
Psychiatry Clinic 401 Quarry Rd MC 5723 Stanford, CA 94305 Telephone Work (650) 724-4390 Fax (650) 240-3999
Clinical Focus
- Psychiatry
- Geriatric Psychiatry
Professional Education
- Board Certification: Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1993)
- Board Certification: Geriatric Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1994)
- VA Medical Center (1992) CA
- SUMC - Graduate Medical Education (1991) CA
- Stanford University School of Medicine (1988) CA
- UC Davis Medical Center (1986) CA
- Ph.D., UC Berkeley (1984)
Research Interests
The first focus of our laboratory is the cerebral inflammatory reaction in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our central hypothesis is that activation of microglial cells in AD may have certain beneficial effects on neuronal survival. We detected a large increase in expression of the receptor for macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSFR) on microglia in the PDAPP transgenic mouse model for AD. In cultured microglia, we found that overexpression of the M-CSFR results in microglial activation and increased phagocytosis of amyloid beta. Microglial overexpression of the M-CSF receptor also protects neurons from NMDA toxicity in a co-culture system of exogenous microglia and hippocampal organotypic cultures. Further, we have found that overexpression of the M-CSFR on microglia in organotypic cultures using biolistic gene transfer also results in protection against NMDA-induced neurotoxicity. Currently we are using oligonucleotide microarrays, proteomics, and other techniques to identify signal transduction pathways activated by the M-CSFR in microglia, and potentially neuroprotective factors produced by microglia.
The second focus of our laboratory is on genetic factors that predict response to medications (pharmacogenetics). In collaboration with clinical researchers at Stanford and elsewhere we are examining polymorphisms that affect the metabolism and/or pharmacodynamic effects of medications used in neuropsychiatry. A large bank of DNA samples from patients treated with medications having different pharmacologic actions in the brain has been assembled, along with clinical efficacy and side effect data. Polymorphisms that affect receptors, transport proteins, and metabolic enzymes are being tested as predictors of clinical outcome. We have identified several genetic markers that predict treatment discontinuations due to side effects in patients receiving widely-prescribed antidepressant medications. We are also studying the pharmacogenetics of antidepressant medications as a treatment for smoking cessation.
Clinical Trials
Publications
- American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part B Neuropsychiatric Genetics. 2009;
- Neurobiol Aging. 2009; (11): 1792-804
- Neurobiol Aging. 2009; (4): 574-90
- In: Research Progress in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia, vol. 2, edited by Miao-Kun Sun. 2007; 57-96
- Addiction. 2008; (8): 1381-90
- Neurobiol Aging. 2008;
- J Psychiatr Res. 2008; (3): 199-204
- Sleep. 2007; (10): 1255-1263
- Int Psychogeriatr. 2007; (3): 539-58
- J Consult Clin Psychol. 2006; (2): 286-94
- J Alzheimers Dis. 2006; (1): 43-9
- J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2006; (1): 32-5
- J Psychopharmacol. 2006; (4 Suppl): 72-8
- Cytokines and the CNS. 2005; 163-191
- Neurology. 2005; (4): 642-4
- J Neurosci. 2005; (17): 4442-51
- Neuroscience. 2005; (2): 375-85
- J Neurosci Res. 2004; (3): 420-9
- J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2004; (1): 36-8
- J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2004; (1): 20-4
- Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2004; (11): 1163-9
- Am J Psychiatry. 2003; (10): 1830-5
- Neurosci Lett. 2003; (3): 185-8
- Neurobiol Aging. 2003; (6): 807-15
- Biol Psychiatry. 2003; (7): 665-73
- Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2002 Sep-Oct; (5): 541-50
- Neurobiol Aging. 2002 May-Jun; (3): 349-62
- J Biol Chem. 2002; (33): 29889-96
- J Neurosci Res. 2002; (5): 578-86
- J Neurochem. 2002; (6): 1388-97
- Psychiatric Genetics. 2002; (12): 97-107
- Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2002; (277): 29889-29896
- J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2001; (3): 115-9
- Neuropsychopharmacology. 2001; (5): 737-43
- Neurology. 2001; (11): 1595-7
- JAMA. 2001; (22): 2888-90
- J Biol Chem. 2001; (32): 30142-9
- Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001; (4): E857-66
- Clin Chem. 2001; (12): 2153-5
- Neurology. 2000; (7): 1498-504
- Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2000; (3): 196-200
- Am J Pathol. 2000; (3): 895-904
- J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998; (12): 1493-8
- J Biol Chem. 1998; (33): 20967-71
- Biol Psychiatry. 1998; (3): 205-9
- Neurology. 1997; (5): 1313-6
- Am J Psychiatry. 1997; (5): 603-8
- J Biol Chem. 1996; (27): 16084-9
- Neurosci Lett. 1996; (2-3): 200-2
- Am J Pathol. 1996; (6): 1839-46
- J Neurosci Res. 1995; (6): 755-63
- Neurosci Lett. 1995; (1): 48-51
- Prog Brain Res. 1995; 219-29
- J Neurochem. 1995; (6): 2716-24
- Neurosci Lett. 1995; (3): 153-6
- J Appl Physiol. 1994; (3): 1281-7
- Am J Pathol. 1994; (5): 1082-8
- J Neurosci Res. 1993; (6): 643-51
- Prog Brain Res. 1992; 475-83
- Am J Pathol. 1992; (2): 357-61
- Biol Psychiatry. 1991; (1): 92-106
- Neurosci Lett. 1991; (1): 109-12
- Neurosci Lett. 1991; (1): 100-4
- Brain Res. 1990; (1-2): 102-8
- Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1990; (3): 309-17
- Folia Primatol (Basel). 1983; (3): 181-96
- Exp Neurol. 1982; (1): 51-67
- Folia Primatol (Basel). 1982; (3-4): 305-31
- Am J Psychiatry. 1979; (3): 311-3
- Am J Psychiatry. 1978; (5): 576-8