LCTS - Section of Brain Electrophysiology and Imaging (BEI)

Daniel Hommer, MD, Chief

Section of Brain Electrophysiology and Imaging, LCTS
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institutes of Health
10 Center Drive, Room 10-CRC/1E-5330: MSC 1108
Bethesda MD 20892-1108
telephone: 301.402.6094
e-mail: dan.hommer@mail.nih.gov

Dr. Hommer serves as the laboratory chief of the Section of Brain Electrophysiology and Imaging, LCTS, NIAAA . He supervises the scientific research personnel and acts as the scientific leader for the section.

What we do

This section conducts both functional and structural brain imaging studies related to alcoholism. For functional work we primarily use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques although positron emission tomographic (PET) studies are also undertaken. Structural studies include both measurements of brain volumes using MRI as well as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We also use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to measure various brain metabolites. Recently much of our functional work has focused on emotion and motivation as they related to substance abuse. Pharmacological fMRI studies are also employed, particularly studies involving alcohol administration.

Current staff

		*Reza Momenan, PhD* Staff Scientist telephone: 301.451.6972 reza.momenan@mail.nih.gov Dr. Momenan provides research expertise and support in the areas of experimental design, imaging, and analysis to the SBEI and the Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies. His main focus of research is development of image processing and image analysis methods. He also conducts imaging research in both human and animal brain using various methods.
		*Dan Rio, PhD* Physicist telephone: 301.402.2994 dan.rio@mail.nih.gov Dr. Rio is a physicist/mathematician who setup the original imaging facilities in this section. His current interest is developing new models for analysis of functional MRI in addition to providing support in the areas of computational mathematics, mathematical modeling, image processing and experimental design.
		*Beth Israel* Psychologist telephone: 301.496.7874 beth.israel@mail.nih.gov
		*Mike Kerich* Computer Scientist telephone: 301.496.6540 mike.kerich@mail.nih.gov Mike Kerich is responsible for providing programming and technical support for the imaging research as well as backing up and maintaining several large servers for imaging data. He also provides desktop support for local users.
		Dasha Dotson Research Assistant telephone: 301.594.7416 dasha.dotson@mail.nih.gov
		*Betsy Davis* Psychology Technician telephone: 301.435.3493 betsy.davis@mail.nih.gov
		*Jodi Gilman* Pre-Doc IRTA telephone: 301.451.9401 gilmanj@mail.nih.gov Jodi Gilman is a doctoral candidate in the Graduate Partnership Program between Brown University and NIH. She is working with Dr. Hommer studying alcohol and the neural correlates of emotion. After graduating in May 2008 with a PhD in Neuroscience, Jodi plans to become a postdoctoral fellow in LCTS.
		*Ashley Smith* Post-Bacc IRTA telephone: 301.451.6978 ashley.smith@mail.nih.gov
		*Megan Davis* Post-Bacc IRTA telephone: 301.496.7513 megan.davis@mail.nih.gov
		*Lawrence* *Woltz, PhD* Contractor telephone: 301.435.9376

BEI Clinical Protocols

04-AA-0060 The Effect of Ethanol on Cerebral Blood Flow as Measured by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Development of Conditioned Response to Ethanol Administration

03-AA-0013 Brain Activation in Response to Motivational and Affective Stimuli: Pharmacologist Manipulations

98-AA-0009 Screening Evaluation for NIAAA Protocols

98-AA-0056 Functional Neuroanatomy of Positive and Negative Affect in Alcoholics and Nonalcoholics

NIAAA Clinical Protocols & link to all NIH Clinical Protocols

Selected Publications

ORIGINAL PUBLICATIONS

Gilman JM, Ramchandani VA , Davis MB , Bjork JM and Hommer DW. Why we like to drink: An fMRI Study of the Rewarding and Anxiolytic Effects of Alcohol. Journal of Neuroscience, in press.

Gilman JM, Hommer DW. Modulation of brain response to emotional images by alcohol cues in alcohol-dependent patients. Addiction Biology , in press .

Bjork JM, Momenan R, Smith A, Hommer DW. Reduced posterior mesofrontal cortex activation by risky rewards in substance-dependent patients. Alcohol and Drug Dependence , in press. PDF

George DT, Gilman J, Hersh J, Thorsell A, Herion D, Geyer C, Peng, X, Kielbasa, W, Rawlings, R, Brandt, J, Gehlert DR, Tauscher JT, Hunt SP, Hommer D, Heilig M. Neurokinin 1 receptor antagonism as a possible therapy for alcoholism. Science. 319(5869):1536-1539, 2008. PDF

Salloum JB, Ramchandani VA, Bodurka J, Rawlings R, Momenan R, George D, Hommer DW. Blunted rostral anterior cingulate response during a simplified decoding task of negative facial expressions in alcoholic patients. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research . 31(9): 1490-1504, 2007. PDF

Bjork JM, Smith A, Danube C, Hommer DW. Developmental differences in posterior mesofrontal cortex recruitment by risky rewards. Journal of Neuroscience. 27(18): 4839-4849, 2007. PDF
Schottenbauer MA, Momenan R, Kerich M, Hommer DW. Relationships among aging, IQ, and intracranial volume in alcoholics and control subjects. Neuropsychology. 21(3): 337-345, 2007. PDF
Schottenbauer MA, Hommer D, Weingartner H. Memory deficits among alcoholics: Performance on a selective reminding task. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition. 14(5): 505-516, 2007. PDF

Brown AK, George DT, Fujita M, Liow J, Ghose S, Sangare J, Hommer DW, Innis RB. PET [11C]DASB imaging of serotonin transporters in patients with alcoholism. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 31(1): 28-32, 2007. PDF

Gilman JM, Bjork JM, Hommer DW. Parental alcohol use and brain volumes in early- and late-onset alcoholics. Biological Psychiatry. 62(6):607-615, 2007. PDF

Bjork JM, Hommer DW. Anticipating instrumentally obtained and passively-received rewards: A factorial fMRI investigation. Behavioural Brain Research. 177 (1): 165-170, 2007. PDF

Rio DE, Rawlings RR, Woltz LA, Salloum JB, Hommer DW. Single subject image analysis using complex general linear model - An application to functional magnetic imaging with multiple inputs. Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine. 82(1):10-19, 2006. PDF

Momenan R, Rawlings R, Fong G, Knutson B, Hommer D. Voxel-based homogeneity probability maps of gray matter in groups: assessing the reliability of functional effects. Neuroimage. 21(3):965-72, 2006. PDF

Bjork JM, Hommer DW, Grant SJ, Danube C. Impulsivity in abstinent alcohol-dependent patients: relation to control subjects and type 1-/type 2-like traits. Alcohol 2004; 42 (2-3): 133-150. PDF

Knutson B, Bjork JM, Fong GW, Hommer D, Mattay VS, Weinberger DR. Amphetamine modulates human incentive processing. Neuron. 43 (2):261-269, 2004 July . PDF

Bjork JM, Knutson B, Fong GW, Caggiano DM, Bennett SM, Hommer DW. Incentive-elicited brain activation in adolescents: similarities and differences from young adults. J Neurosci . 24(8):1793-1802, 2004 February. PDF

Bjork JM, Grant SJ, Hommer DW. Cross-sectional volumetric analysis of brain atrophy in alcohol dependence: effects of drinking history and comorbid substance use disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 160(11):2038-45, 2003 November. PDF

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Updated: April 2008