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Peggy C. Nopoulos, MD

Professor of Psychiatry

Introduction

Our lab studies the structure and function of the brain using imaging tools such as MRI and cognitive / behavioral assessment. In the healthy brain we study topics such as brain development over the lifespan, gender differences and social cognition. Disease populations that we work with include patients with schizophrenia, Huntington's Disease, and children with clefts of the lip/palate.

Current Positions

  • Professor of Psychiatry
  • Professor of Pediatrics
  • Professor of Neurology
  • Chair and DEO, Department of Psychiatry

Education

  • BS in General Science, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
  • MD, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA
  • Resident in Psychiatry, University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center, Iowa City, IA
  • Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuropsychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Graduate Program Affiliations

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Research Interests

  • Huntington's disease
  • Brain structure and function in children born prematurely
  • Brain structure and function in Oro-facial Clefting disorders
  • Normal brain development
  • Sex differences in brain structure and function

Licenses & Certifications

  • Iowa Controlled Substance (Drug Enforcement Administration)
  • State of Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners (CSA Certificate)
  • Psychiatry certification, American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry
  • Medical License, Iowa Board of Medicine, Iowa

Selected Publications

  • Zhang, L., Guo, Z., Zhang, H., van der Plas, E., Koscik, T.R., Nopoulos, P.C., & Sonka, M. (2023) Assisted annotation in Deep LOGISMOS: Simultaneous multi-compartment 3D MRI segmentation of calf muscles. Medical Physics 50 (8) 4916-4929. DOI: 10.1002/mp.16284
  • Rogers, B., St. Marie, B., Wesemann, D., & Nopoulos, P. (2023) Evaluating De-Escalation Training for Direct and Indirect Employees Caring for Residents With Huntington’s Disease. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. DOI: 10.1177/10783903231211558
  • Koscik, T.R., van der Plas, E., Long, J.D., Cross, S., Gutmann, L., Cumming, S.A., Monckton, D.G., Shields, R.K., Magnotta, V., & Nopoulos, P.C. (2023) Longitudinal changes in white matter as measured with diffusion tensor imaging in adult-onset myotonic dystrophy type 1. Neuromuscular Disorders 33 (8) 660-669. DOI: 10.1016/j.nmd.2023.05.010
  • Schultz, J.L., Neema, M., & Nopoulos, P.C. (2023) Unravelling the role of huntingtin: from neurodevelopment to neurodegeneration. Brain 146 (11) 4408-4410. DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad353
  • van der Plas, E., Lullmann, O., Hopkins, L., Schultz, J.L., Nopoulos, P.C., & Harshman, L.A. (2022) Associations between neurofilament light-chain protein, brain structure, and chronic kidney disease. Pediatric Research 91 1735-1740. DOI: 10.1038/s41390-021-01649-6
  • van der Plas, E., Solomon, M.A., Hopkins, L., Koscik, T., Schultz, J., Brophy, P.D., Nopoulos, P.C., & Harshman, L.A. (2022) Global and Regional White Matter Fractional Anisotropy in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease. Journal of Pediatrics 242 166-173. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.11.006
  • Byrne, L.M., Schultz, J.L., Rodrigues, F.B., van der Plas, E., Langbehn, D., Nopoulos, P.C., & Wild, E.J. (2022) Neurofilament Light Protein as a Potential Blood Biomarker for Huntington's Disease in Children. Movement Disorders 37 (7) 1526-1531. DOI: 10.1002/mds.29027
  • Benavides, A., Bell, E.F., Georgieff, M.K., Josephson, C.D., Stowell, S.R., Feldman, H.A., Nalbant, D., Tereshchenko, A., Sola-Visner, M., & Nopoulos, P. (2022) Sex-specific cytokine responses and neurocognitive outcome after blood transfusions in preterm infants. Pediatric Research 91 947-954. DOI: 10.1038/s41390-021-01536-0
  • Schultz, J.L., Epping, E.A., van der Plas, E., Magnotta, V.A., & Nopoulos, P.C. (2022) Striatal Development in Early-Onset Huntington's Disease. Movement Disorders 37 (12) 2459-2460. DOI: 10.1002/mds.29227
  • Schultz, J.L., Harshman, L.A., Kamholz, J.A., & Nopoulos, P.C. (2021) Autonomic dysregulation as an early pathologic feature of Huntington Disease. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical 231. DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102775