Mady Hornig
Encyclopedia
Mady Hornig, MD is a psychiatrist
and an associate professor of epidemiology
at Columbia University
's Mailman School of Public Health, where she is Director of Translational Research in the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII). A physician-scientist, her research involves clinical, epidemiological, and animal model research on autism
and related neurodevelopmental conditions. She directs the clinical core of an international investigation of the role of Borna disease
virus in human mental illness
and participates as a key investigator for the Autism Birth Cohort (ABC) project, a large prospective epidemiological study, based in Norway, that is identifying how gene
s and timing interact with environmental agents preceding the onset of autism spectrum
diagnoses. In 2006, she was appointed as Guest Professor at the School of Basic Medical Science of Beijing University in Beijing
, China
.
Hornig is investigating the role of viral
and immune system
factors affecting mental health
. Along with CII director W. Ian Lipkin
and colleague Thomas Briese, she is currently investigating measles
virus
DNA
sequences in bowel biopsies of children with autism spectrum disorders. Formulating a ‘three strikes’ model of causation that integrates genetics
, the environment and developmental neurobiology, Hornig posits that some cases of autism may represent the unfortunate coincidence of genetic vulnerability (first dimension) and exposure to environmental factors (second dimension) at a critical period of brain development (third dimension). She is examining how brain damage
from infections, immune system dysfunction, neurotoxin
s, and other chemical or psychosocial stress factors, or host responses to these environmental agents, can lead to neurodevelopmental and other central nervous system
disorders, thereby contributing to autism, schizophrenia
, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorders, and mood disorder
s.
, where she was a College Scholar; an MA in psychology in 1983 from the New School for Social Research, and an MD in 1988 from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia
. Between 1988 and 1992, Hornig served her residency in psychiatry at the University of Vermont
. Under a National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Mental Health, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychopharmacology on the Depression Research Unit of the University of Pennsylvania from 1992 to 1994.
and neurodevelopmental disorders. In 1997, Hornig discovered a link between blood flow to brain regions regulating emotion and memory, stress hormones, and treatment failure in people with major depression, setting the stage for development of biomarkers that could match patients to the interventions most likely to help them. She is also known for her animal model research suggesting how specific gene variants (polymorphisms
) present in a subset of the population may create exaggerated vulnerability to subtoxic exposures of heavy metals and other common environmental pollutants, corroborating similar findings by Jill James, Richard Deth
, David Baskin, and Boyd Haley
, among others.
Within the Northeast Biodefense Center, an NIAID regional Center of Excellence in biodefense
and emerging infectious diseases, Hornig is a member of the Core Oversight Committee and the Governing Council, leading a project on immune and neuroendocrine factors in West Nile virus
encephalitis
.
Hornig's multidisciplinary research methods integrate data from animal models and epidemiological studies, incorporating behavioral, neurochemical
, neuroendocrine, neurostructural
, molecular, immunologic and microbiologic
perspectives. Hornig uses clues from animal models and epidemiological studies to understand the neurodevelopmental responses to environmental factors during brain maturation that may trigger or amplify psychiatric conditions.
In 2004, she was elected to the President’s Council of Cornell Women, serving as Dean’s Liaison for Cornell Weill Medical College; she is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences
Frontiers of Science Steering Committee; serves in the Medical Reserve Corps for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and sits on the board of directors for The DisAbility Project in Saint Louis, Missouri.
, based on neonatal rat infection with Borna disease
virus.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and an associate professor of epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Mailman School of Public Health, where she is Director of Translational Research in the Center for Infection and Immunity (CII). A physician-scientist, her research involves clinical, epidemiological, and animal model research on autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and related neurodevelopmental conditions. She directs the clinical core of an international investigation of the role of Borna disease
Borna disease
Borna disease is an infectious neurological syndrome of warm-blooded animals, caused by Borna disease virus, which causes abnormal behaviour and fatality....
virus in human mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
and participates as a key investigator for the Autism Birth Cohort (ABC) project, a large prospective epidemiological study, based in Norway, that is identifying how gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s and timing interact with environmental agents preceding the onset of autism spectrum
Autism spectrum
The term "autism spectrum" is often used to describe disorders that are currently classified as pervasive developmental disorders. Pervasive developmental disorders include autism, Asperger syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise...
diagnoses. In 2006, she was appointed as Guest Professor at the School of Basic Medical Science of Beijing University in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Hornig is investigating the role of viral
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
and immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
factors affecting mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
. Along with CII director W. Ian Lipkin
W. Ian Lipkin
W. Ian Lipkin is the John Snow Professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and Professor of Neurology and Pathology at College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University...
and colleague Thomas Briese, she is currently investigating measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sequences in bowel biopsies of children with autism spectrum disorders. Formulating a ‘three strikes’ model of causation that integrates genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, the environment and developmental neurobiology, Hornig posits that some cases of autism may represent the unfortunate coincidence of genetic vulnerability (first dimension) and exposure to environmental factors (second dimension) at a critical period of brain development (third dimension). She is examining how brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
from infections, immune system dysfunction, neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
s, and other chemical or psychosocial stress factors, or host responses to these environmental agents, can lead to neurodevelopmental and other central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
disorders, thereby contributing to autism, schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorders, and mood disorder
Mood disorder
Mood disorder is the term designating a group of diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders classification system where a disturbance in the person's mood is hypothesized to be the main underlying feature...
s.
Education
Dr. Hornig received a bachelor's degree in 1978 from Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, where she was a College Scholar; an MA in psychology in 1983 from the New School for Social Research, and an MD in 1988 from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Between 1988 and 1992, Hornig served her residency in psychiatry at the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
. Under a National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Mental Health, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychopharmacology on the Depression Research Unit of the University of Pennsylvania from 1992 to 1994.
Career
Hornig is widely recognized for her work on the role of microbial and immune factors in mental illnessMental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
and neurodevelopmental disorders. In 1997, Hornig discovered a link between blood flow to brain regions regulating emotion and memory, stress hormones, and treatment failure in people with major depression, setting the stage for development of biomarkers that could match patients to the interventions most likely to help them. She is also known for her animal model research suggesting how specific gene variants (polymorphisms
Polymorphism (biology)
Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph...
) present in a subset of the population may create exaggerated vulnerability to subtoxic exposures of heavy metals and other common environmental pollutants, corroborating similar findings by Jill James, Richard Deth
Richard Deth
Richard Deth, Ph.D., is a neuropharmacologist, a professor of pharmacology at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and is on the scientific advisory board of the National Autism Association...
, David Baskin, and Boyd Haley
Boyd Haley
Boyd E. Haley, PhD , is a retired professor of chemistry at the University of Kentucky. The basic research interest of his laboratory centered on biochemical and biomedical problems involving control at the molecular level, particularly in biological systems regulated by protein–nucleotide...
, among others.
Within the Northeast Biodefense Center, an NIAID regional Center of Excellence in biodefense
Biodefense
Biodefense refers to short term, local, usually military measures to restore biosecurity to a given group of persons in a given area who are, or may be, subject to biological warfare— in the civilian terminology, it is a very robust biohazard response. It is technically possible to apply...
and emerging infectious diseases, Hornig is a member of the Core Oversight Committee and the Governing Council, leading a project on immune and neuroendocrine factors in West Nile virus
West Nile virus
West Nile virus is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. Part of the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses, it is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is known to infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic...
encephalitis
Encephalitis
Encephalitis is an acute inflammation of the brain. Encephalitis with meningitis is known as meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness, and fatigue...
.
Hornig's multidisciplinary research methods integrate data from animal models and epidemiological studies, incorporating behavioral, neurochemical
Neurochemistry
Neurochemistry is the specific study of neurochemicals, which include neurotransmitters and other molecules such as neuro-active drugs that influence neuron function. This principle closely examines the manner in which these neurochemicals influence the network of neural operation...
, neuroendocrine, neurostructural
Neuromorphology
Neuromorphology is the study of nervous system form, shape, and structure. The study of its structure includes looking at the organ system from a physiological and anatomical point of view, as well as on a molecular and cellular level...
, molecular, immunologic and microbiologic
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are defined as any microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters or no cell at all . This includes eukaryotes, such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes...
perspectives. Hornig uses clues from animal models and epidemiological studies to understand the neurodevelopmental responses to environmental factors during brain maturation that may trigger or amplify psychiatric conditions.
In 2004, she was elected to the President’s Council of Cornell Women, serving as Dean’s Liaison for Cornell Weill Medical College; she is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
Frontiers of Science Steering Committee; serves in the Medical Reserve Corps for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and sits on the board of directors for The DisAbility Project in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Animal models
In the 1990s, Hornig helped to develop an infection-based model of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autismAutism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, based on neonatal rat infection with Borna disease
Borna disease
Borna disease is an infectious neurological syndrome of warm-blooded animals, caused by Borna disease virus, which causes abnormal behaviour and fatality....
virus.
Select publications
- Steven Locke, Mady Honig-Rohan, Mind and Immunity: Behavioral Immunology, 1983, ISBN 0-275-91400-3
- Jay D. Amsterdam, Mady Hornig, Andrew A. Nierenberg (editors), Treatment-Resistant Mood Disorders, 2001, ISBN 0-521-59341-7
- Hornig M., Chian D., Lipkin W.I., 'Neurotoxic effects of postnatal thimerosal are mouse strain dependent', Molecular PsychiatryMolecular PsychiatryMolecular Psychiatry is a scientific journal published by Nature Publishing Group.It publishes papers in biological psychiatry and, e.g., about psychiatric genetics...
(September, 2004) - Mady Hornig, Thomas Briese, Timothy Buie, Margaret L. Bauman, Gregory Lauwers, Ulrike Siemetzki, Kimberly Hummel, Paul A. Rota, William J. Bellini, John J. O'Leary, Orla Sheils, Errol Alden, Larry Pickering, W. Ian Lipkin - 'Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study', PLoS ONEPLoS ONEPLoS ONE is an open access peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science since 2006. It covers primary research from any discipline within science and medicine. All submissions go through an internal and external pre-publication peer review but are not excluded on the...
(September, 2008)
External links
- MailmanSchool.org - 'Mady Hornig', Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
faculty page.