Dr. Pomara
has been involved in research pertaining to Alzheimer’s disease and
Geriatric Psychopharmacology for more than 20 years and has made many
important contributions in these areas.
He has been involved in many of the clinical trials that led to the
FDA approval of most of the medications currently approved for the
treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
He has also made important contributions to our understanding of
this disease. For example, he
provided the earliest descriptions of increased glutamate level in the
spinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Elevation of this substance in the brain
may result in nerve cell damage. A
medication that blocks the effects of glutamate in the brain (NamendaÔ or memantine) has been recently
marketed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Pomara
has also conducted numerous projects funded by the National Institute of
Mental Health to study the potential cognitive toxicity of many
psychotropic medications that are widely used in the elderly population. These include the benzodiazepines,
lorazepam (Ativan), alprazolam (Xanax), and other anticholinergic
drugs. His studies have
demonstrated that acute doses of these medications can produce profound
impairments in memory.
Interestingly, he has found that elderly individuals who possess a
copy of the APOE e4 allele, a gene that is associated with increased risk
Alzheimer’s disease, may be particularly sensitive to the adverse effects
of these medications on memory.
This gene is found in more than 20 percent of the general
population. With the widespread use
of these medications in the elderly this finding has considerable public
health implications. Nunzio
Pomara, M.D.
is Professor, Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine and Director,
Geriatric Psychiatry Division at the Nathan S. Kline Institute.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
Email:
geri_info@nki.rfmh.org
Call:
(845) 398-5583
More
recently, with the help of the Hon. John Murphy, Rockland County
Legislator, Dr. Pomara and his group have established the Memory
Education and Research Initiative (MERI) in collaboration with the
Rockland County Department of Health.
The principal aim of this initiative is to offer memory and
cognitive evaluation to individuals with memory complaints at no cost. The results of these evaluations are
communicated to the personal physicians of all participants. MERI also alerts community physicians
and psychologists about ongoing clinical studies of treatments of disorders
that affect memory. MERI’s research
mission is to facilitate bringing scientific advances from the laboratory
bench to the patient’s bedside.
This includes the development of advanced neuro-imaging techniques
to help overcome the problems of early diagnosis and to improve the
sensitivity of clinical trials to new therapies. In addition to service and research, MERI will serve as an
educational resource regarding memory disorders for the patients and
clinicians of Rockland County. One
of the other important contributions that Dr. Pomara and his group have made
is the establishment of a center at NKI offering treatment with the latest
experimental agents for Alzheimer’s disease. Over the years, this program has enabled hundreds of patients
to be treated with promising compounds years before they were actually
introduced in the market. This
activity is ongoing and one of the ongoing clinical trials is targeting
individuals with Alzheimer’s disease on stable doses of Aricept, Exelon,
Reminyl, or Memantine. These
individuals may be eligible for participation in a placebo-controlled trial
with an experimental compound that has been demonstrated in pre-clinical
studies to reduce the levels of amyloid beta in brain. Increased levels of this substance in
the brain are currently believed to play a major role in the loss of brain
nerve cells and their connections.
This medication may have the potential to slow the progression of
the disease. There is no cost to
participate and subjects can continue on their current medication for
memory enhancement. If
you have any questions or for more information, please contact the
Geriatric Psychiatry Division at 845-398-5582 or 845-398-5578. The
Geriatric Psychiatry Division staff includes: Nunzio Pomara, MD (ph
845-398-5579); John Sidtis, PhD (ph 845-398-5577); Antero Sarreal, MD (ph
845-398-6532); Raymundo T. Hernando, MD (ph 845-398-5578); Corazon B. de la
Pena, MD (ph 845-398-6533); Vita Pomara, BA (ph 845-398-5582); Amanda Schmeltz,
BA (ph 845-398-5583).
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