Herzog Staff Lead the Way
Prof. Richard Ebstein, Director of the Research Department,together with two colleagues, have just published a new book entitled ‘Molecular Genetics and the Human Personality’. This fascinating work opens with an authoritative and up-to-date introduction to the molecular genetics of human personality, continues with chapters on statistics, clinical relevance for psychiatrists, animal models, normal adult personality, infant temperament, intelligence, aggression, drug abuse, sexual orientation, and criticism. It concludes with what the future holds in the field.
Prof. Richard Ebstein and Dr. Jacques Eisenberg, Director of the child psychiatry clinic, recently presented the results of their research into the genetic factors in ADHD at the International Congress on Neuropsycho-pharmacology in Montreal, Canada.
Dr. Esther-Lee Marcus, Director of the Department of Acute Geriatric Care, in collaboration with Dr. Mark Clarfield, Director of the Institutional Review Board, recently had their research on “Rembrandt’s Late Self Portraits: Psychological and Medical Aspects” published in the International Journal of Aging and Human Development. The article reviewed how Rembrandt’s changes in his self portraits might have reflected illnesses he suffered from in his later years.
Prof. Gabi Shefler, Chief Psychologist, has just published another book. Published in Hebrew, his book entitled “More on Short Term Psychotherapy”, reviews the latest strategies, forms of treatment and research in the field.
Prof. Jacob Menczel, Director of the Osteoporosis Unit and former Director-General of Herzog Hospital, in collaboration with Prof. Baruch Shapira, Director of our Schonbaum Department for Treatment-Resistant Depression, recently presented the results of their research on osteoporosis in patients with depression at the 29th European Symposium on Calcified Tissue in Zagreb, Croatia. This research highlighted that patients suffering from depression have a higher risk of falls and are prone to fractures common in osteoporosis. Therefore, it is recommended to perform bone density examinations in patients suffering from depression, as well as initiate preventative measures such as an adequate calcium intake and physical activity.
Articles on their work have been published in the Calcified Tissue International Journal, and Climacteric, the Journal of the International Menopause Society. Prof. Menczel also participated in the International Conference on Densometric Methods and in the International Congress on Menopause.
Prof. Menczel was also recently honored by the Israel Association of Geriatric Medicine for his life-long contribution to health care in Israel. He is currently providing free bone density examinations at the Hospital for Holocaust survivors .
Dr. Eli Wertman, Director of the Department of Neurogeriatrics, authored the chapter on “Unilateral Neglect” that appears in the newly published ‘Encyclopedia of the Human Brain’. This relates to memory problems affecting the elderly.
Dr. Uri Heresco-Levy, Director of Women’s Psychiatry, continues to make strides in his internationally recognized research to improve the quality of life for sufferers from schizophrenia. Considered one of the severest forms of mental illness, it affects about 1% of the world’s population. Schizophrenics suffer from both positive symptoms such as paranoia, voices and halluci-nations, and negative symptoms such as diminished functionality and loss of social interaction. Current medication alleviates some positive but not negative symptoms. Dr. Heresco-Levy’s treatment adds amino acids or dicycloserine to the medication of some patients which causes a marked reduction in patients’ negative symptoms. The results were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry and at the First Israel-USA Symposium on Psychiatry.
Dr. Heresco-Levy also contributed the chapter on ‘Amino Acid Transmitter Systems’ in the annual edition of ‘Biological Psychology’. He has been nominated as the International Scientist of the Year by the prestigious International Biographical Center in Cambridge, England. Only a handful of scientists are nominated for this award. This reflects Dr. Heresco-Levy’s important research into treating schizophrenia.
Dr. Shai Shoham, Director of the Research Unit of Histopathology, had his research on the “Interaction of “readthrough” acetylcho-linesterase with RACK and PK(C(ll correlates with intensified fear-induced conflict behavior” published in the prestigious journal, Proceedings of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences-PNAS. The study focused on the effect of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase on neurobiological stress.
