Randy Ross, M.D.
(303) 315-5368
Randy.Ross@uchsc.eduDr. Ross' research is translational in nature, focusing on the translation of biologically based, including genetically based, information into treatment and prevention strategies for children with and at-risk for schizophrenia. Eye movements appear to be a marker of genetic risk for schizophrenia. A specific type of eye movement abnormality, an increase in the frequency of leading saccades, appears specific to genetic risk for schizophrenia, and can identify children who carry genetic risk for schizophrenia as young as age 6 years. Current directions in the lab include:
(a) Expansion of eye movement studies, including the use of the vestibular ocular response to further assess and describe the eye movement dysfunction
(b) Linkage studies with attempts to follow-up on preliminary studies which suggest that the gene for a nicotinic receptor may be involved in this abnormality
(c) Early developmental studies including what are the effects of carrying genetic risk for schizophrenia on the pre and early post-natal brain
(d) School-age phenotypic expression of these genetic risk factors, including the knowledge that school-age expression of genetic risk for schizophrenia includes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
(e) What is the impact of genetic risk for schizophrenia on standard treatment? For example, should children with ADHD who also carry geneticrisk for schizophrenia be treated with stimulant medications?
(f) Is higher genetic risk associated with worse forms of the disorder? For example, is school-age onset on schizophrenia associated with bilinealinheritance of genetic risk factors?
(g) Does increased genetic loading alter treatment response and/or treatment choices? For example, is school-age onset schizophrenia equally responsive to treatment with antipsychotics as is adolescent or adult-onset schizophrenia
(h) Can the availability of genetic information allow for the development of novel treatment and prevention strategies?
Recent Publications:1. Ross RG, Hommer DW, Breiger D, Varley C., Radant AD. Eye movement task related to frontal lobe functioning in children with Attention Deficit Disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 33, 869-874 (1994).2. Ross RG, Hommer DW, Radant AD, Roath M, Freedman RF. Early expression of smooth pursuit eye movement abnormalities in children of schizophrenic parents. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 941-949 (1996).
3. Olincy A, Ross RG, Young DA, Roath M, Freedman R. Improvement in smooth pursuit eye movements after cigarette smoking in schizophrenic patients. Neuropsychopharmacology, 18, 175-185 (1998)
4. Ross RG, Harris JG, Olincy A, Radant AD, Adler LE, Freedman R. (1999). Familial transmission of two independent saccadic deficits in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 30, 59-70 (1998)
5. Ross RG, Olincy A, Harris JG, Radant A, Adler LE, Freedman R. Anticipatory saccades during smooth pursuit eye movements and familial transmission of schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 8, 690-697 (1998).
6. Ross RG, Olincy A, Harris JG, Radant A, Hawkins M, Adler LE, Freedman R. Evidence for bilineal inheritance of physiological indicators of risk in childhood-onset schizophrenia. American Journal of Medical Genetics: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, 88, 188-199 (1999)
7. Warren S, Ross RG. Deficient cancellation of the vestibular ocular reflex in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 34, 187-193, 1998.
8. Freedman R, Ross RG, Adler LE. Physiological indicators of the schizophrenia phenotype. Psychopharmacology: Fourth Generation of Progress, ed. Watson SJ., Lippincott-Raven Press, 1998
9. Ross RG, Olincy A, Harris JG, Sullivan B, Radant A. Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements in Schizophrenia and Attentional Dysfunction: Adults with schizophrenia, ADHD, and a normal comparison group. Biological Psychiatry 48, 197-203, 2000
10. Ross RG, Compagnon N. Diagnosis and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders
in Children with a Schizophrenic Parent. Schizophrenia Research (in press)11. Ross RG, Olincy A, Radant A. Which Duration of Post-Saccadic Slowing Identifies Anticipatory Saccades During Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements? Psychophysiology, 38, 325-333, 2001.
12. Tanabe J, Tregellas J, Miller D, Ross RG, Freedman R. Brain activation during smooth pursuit eye movements. Neuroimage, 17(3), 1315-24, 2002
13. Ross RG, Olincy A, Mikulich SK, Radant AD, Harris JG, Waldo M, Compagnon N, Heinlein S, Leonard S, Zerbe GO, Adler L, Freedman R. Admixture analysis of smooth pursuit eye movements in probands with schizophrenia and their relatives suggests gain and leading saccades are potential endophenotypes. Psychophysiology, 39, 809-819, 2002.
14. Ross RG. Early expression of a pathophysiological feature of schizophrenia: Saccadic intrusions into smooth pursuit eye movements in school-age children vulnerable to schizophrenia. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42(4), 468-476, 2003.
15. Kisley MA, Polk SD, Ross RG, Levisohn PM, Freedman R. Early postnatal development of sensory gating. Neuroreport 14(5): 693-697, 2003
16. Davalos DB, Kisley MA, Polk S, Ross RG, Freedman, R. Mismatch negativity in detection of deviant auditory interstimulus intervals in schizophrenia. Neuroreport, 14(9), 1283-6, 2003.
17. Ross RG, Schaeffer J, Compagnon N, Heinlein S, Beresford C, Farley G. The prodrome to psychosis: Can it be identified in school-age children? Schizophrenia Bulletin 29(4), 729-736, 2003.
18. Tregellas JR, Tanabe JL, Miller DE, Ross RG, Olincy A, Freedman R. Neurobiology of smooth pursuit eye movements deficits in schizophrenia: An fMRI study. The American Journal of Psychiatry 161(2), 315-321, 2004
19. Beresford C, Hepburn, S. Ross RG. Schizophrenia in preschool children: 2 case reports with longitudinal follow-up for 5.92 and 8.6 Years. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry (in press), 2004.
20. Ross RG, Heinlein S, Zerbe GO, Radant A. Saccadic eye movement deficit identifies cognitive deficits in children with schizophrenia, but not in unaffected child relatives. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (in press), 2004
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAM IN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGYDepartment of Psychiatry
University of Colorado Denver
Denver, CO 80262For additional Information E-mail:
Martin.Reite@UCHSC.edu
If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to E-mail:
Linda.Greco-Sanders@UCHSC.edu
