Bio
Research:
Dr. Veith is investigating disturbances of sympathetic nervous system function in aging and in patients with major depression. Studies at the Seattle VA GRECC have recently shown that sympathetic activity is increased in depressed patients. In an extension of these studies, Dr. Veith was recently awarded a 5-year VA Merit Review grant to examine sympathetic nervous system activity in patients who are depressed following myocardial infarction. It has been shown elsewhere that these individuals incur up to a 5-fold increased probability of dying in the 6-12 months after heart attack. Increased sympathetic activity is a possible mechanism that might explain this increased risk. Studies will also examine whether antidepressant treatment of depression following myocardial infarction leads to benefits in rehabilitation and cardiac functional status. The effects of sertraline on sympathetic activity will be measured using a tritiated norepinephrine isotope dilution technique and mathematical modeling. Cardiac parasympathetic activity will also be assessed using several measures of heart rate variability.
These studies will be complemented by a newly awarded 7-year NHLBI contract to Dr. Veith (Co-PI with UW School of Nursing and Division of Cardiology faculty) to assess the effects of psychosocial treatment of post-myocardial depression and social isolation.
Additional studies are examining the effects of antidepressants on the regulation of norepinephrine and dopamine uptake transporter in various brain regions in the rat. These studies are being conducted in collaboration with GRECC and Department of Psychiatry investigators Patti Szot, Ph.D., and Molly Shores, M.D., with the goal to explore possible mechanisms of action of the antidepressants.
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