Stewart A. Anderson, MD

Dr. Anderson serves as director of research in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Services and associate director of the Lifespan Brain Institute, a CHOP-Penn collaboration dedicated to identifying the neuropathological antecedents of neuropsychiatric disease.

He has a longstanding interest in the interface between basic science and clinical research, and his research has involved the development of the cerebral cortex and schizophrenia.

Dr. Anderson's current research involves the molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern the development of the mammalian forebrain. Using mouse genetics, forebrain slice and dissociated culture techniques, as well as mouse and human embryonic stem cells in cell culture and transplantation experiments, he and his lab team study the development of the cerebral cortex. They are particularly interested in understanding the molecular underpinnings behind the fate determination and axon targeting of subclasses of GABAergic interneurons implicated in the neuropathology of schizophrenia.

New research directions by Dr. Anderson and his lab include the study of mitochondria in interneuron migration, maturation, and function. In addition, they are generating mouse and human stem cell-derived interneurons for use in cell-based therapies for seizures, psychotic disorders, and as tools for the study of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in neuropsychiatric disease.