Alfred J. Lewy
Encyclopedia
Alfred J. Lewy, graduated from University of Chicago
, in 1973 after studying Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Ophthalmology. He is a full professor and Vice-Chair of the department of Psychiatry at OHSU, Oregon Health & Science University
, and holds an MD and PhD. Prior to moving to Oregon in 1981, Lewy was at the National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH) in Bethesda, Maryland, working with senior colleague Thomas A Wehr
. In Oregon he has worked closely with Robert L. Sack
. As of December 2005, he had 94 publications available on Pubmed
.
He describes his research as follows:
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, in 1973 after studying Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Ophthalmology. He is a full professor and Vice-Chair of the department of Psychiatry at OHSU, Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University is a public university in Oregon with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland and a smaller campus in Hillsboro...
, and holds an MD and PhD. Prior to moving to Oregon in 1981, Lewy was at the National Institute of Mental Health
National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...
(NIMH) in Bethesda, Maryland, working with senior colleague Thomas A Wehr
Thomas A Wehr
Thomas Alvin Wehr, MD, scientist emeritus at the National Institute of Mental Health is a psychiatrist, research scientist, author, and former chief of the Clinical Psychobiology branch at NIMH....
. In Oregon he has worked closely with Robert L. Sack
Robert L. Sack
Robert L. Sack is an American physician and researcher specializing in sleep medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Sleep Disorders Medicine...
. As of December 2005, he had 94 publications available on Pubmed
PubMed
PubMed is a free database accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health maintains the database as part of the Entrez information retrieval system...
.
He describes his research as follows:
- "My laboratory studies chronobiologic sleepSleepSleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...
and mood disorders. These disorders include winter depressionClinical depressionMajor depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, jet lagJet lagJet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders...
, maladaptation to shift work and certain types of sleep disturbances. Relying on a very precise assay for plasmaBlood plasmaBlood plasma is the straw-colored liquid component of blood in which the blood cells in whole blood are normally suspended. It makes up about 55% of the total blood volume. It is the intravascular fluid part of extracellular fluid...
melatonin (a hormone that has a clearly defined 24-hour pattern of secretion), biological rhythm disorders can be assessed and their treatment can be monitored. Current research is focused on developing bright light exposure and melatonin administration as treatment modalities for these disorders. Treatment must be precisely scheduled. Morning light exposure and evening melatonin administration cause circadian phase-advance shifts; evening light exposure and morning melatonin administration cause circadian phase-delay shifts. Totally blindBlindnessBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
individuals have 25-hour circadian rhythms, drifting an hour later each day, unless they take a melatonin capsule at a certain time every day."