C. Neill Epperson, M.D.

faculty photo
Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry
Medical Staff, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Medical Staff, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Department: Psychiatry

Contact information
University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus
Department of Psychiatry, 13001 E 17th Place, MS F546
Aurora, CO 80045
Education:
B.S. (Biology)
University of North Caroline, Chapel Hill, 1986.
M.D.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1991.
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Description of Clinical Expertise

Dr. Epperson has over 20 years experience in the treatment of mood and behavioral disorders across the female reproductive life cycle. Specifically, she has expertise in the assessment and treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder, premenstrual worsening of depression and bipolar disorder, perinatal psychiatric disorders, mood disorders due to hormonal treatments, and perimenopausal mood disturbances. Dr. Epperson also treats women with adjustment difficulties and post-traumatic stress due to pregnancy complications or loss and consults with peri- and early post-menopausal women with cognitive complaints. The Penn Center for Women's Behavioral Wellness, under the direction of Dr. Epperson, includes psychologists and psychiatrists with expertise in women's mental health.

Description of Research Expertise

Research Interest: The overarching goal of Dr. Epperson's research has been the neuroendocrinology of mood, behavior, and cognition across the female life span. To this end, her laboratory utilizes a wide range of scientific tools, including brain imaging, psychophysiology, hormone treatment, amino acid depletion and pharmacologic challenge.

Key Words:
Women's Health
fMRI
1H-MRS
Psychophysiology
Neuroendocrinology
Cognition
Mood

Research Techniques:
fMRI
1H-MRS
Psychophysiology
Hormone and pharmacologic challenges

Research Summary The Epperson laboratory is housed in the Penn Center for Women's Behavioral Wellness at 3535 Market Street and is affiliated with the Departments of Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Radiology. Doctoral and post-doctoral students have the opportunity to participate in and conduct translational neuroscience studies focusing on the neuroendocrinology of affective and cognitive disorders in women. Another strong area of emphasis is the study of sex differences in neuropsychiatric, cognitive and substance use disorders.

Dr. Epperson also co-directs the Center for the Study of Sex and Gender in Behavioral Health with Dr. Tracy Bale of the School of Veterinary Medicine. The Epperson laboratory has recently been awarded a P50 from the Office of Research on Women's Health and the National Institute of Mental Health to study the impact of prepubertal adversity on the sex bias for affective disorders across the female lifespan. This center grant is composed of two human subjects projects (Epperson laboratory) and one rodent study (conducted in NGG faculty member Dr. Tracy Bale's laboratory at the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine). The P50 provides opportunities for interested trainees to be involved with bench to bedside research. The Epperson laboratory is ideal for students interested in brain imaging (fMRI & 1H-MRS), psychophysiology and stress reactivity in women's health. The Center for the Study of Sex and Gender in Behavioral Health also recently became the recipient of a Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) award for the Office of Research on Women's Health (within the NIH). Drs. Epperson and Bale recently named two BIRCWH scholars who will receive two years of salary support and protected research time.

Selected Publications

Nanga RPR, DeBrosse C, Kumar D, Roalf D, McGeehan B, D'Aquilla K, Borthakur A, Hariharan H, Reddy D, Elliott M, Detre JA, Epperson CN, Reddy R.: Reproducibility of 2D GluCEST in healthy human volunteers at 7 T. Magnetic Resonance Imaging 280(5): 2033-2039, November 2018.

Brady SS, Bavendam TG, Berry A, Fok CS, Gahagan S, Goode PS, Hardacker CT, Herbert-Beirne J, Lewis CE, Lewis JB, Low LK, Lowder JL, Palmer M, Wyman JF, Lukacz ES, the Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium.: The prevention of lower urinary tract symptoms (PLUS) in girls and women: Developing a conceptual framework for a prevention research agenda. Neurology and Urodynamics 37(8): 2951-2964, November 2018.

Markland A, Chu H, Epperson CN, Nodora J, Shoham D, Smith A, Sutcliffe S, Towsend M, Zhou J, Bavendam T.: Occupation and lower urinary tract symptoms in women: A rapid review and meta-analysis from the PLUS Research Consortium. Neurology and Urodynamics 37(8): 2881-2892, November 2018.

Meltzer-Brody S, Colquhoun H, Riesenberg R, Epperson CN, Deligiannidis KM, Rubinow DR, Haihong L, Sankoh AJ, Clemson C, Jonas J, Kanes S.: Brexanolone injection in postpartum depression: two multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 studies. Lancet 392(10152): 1058-1070, September 2018.

Lukacz ES, Bavendam TG, Berry A, Fok CS, Gahagan S, Goode PS, Hardacker CT, Hebert-Beirne J, Lewis CE, Lewis J, Low LK, Lowder JL, Palmer MH, Smith AL, Brady SS, Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (PLUS) Research Consortium.: A Novel Research Definition of Bladder Health in Women and Girls: Implications for Research and Public Health Promotion. Women's Health 27(8): 974-981, August 2018.

Cooney LG, Milman LW, Hantsoo L, Kornfield S, Sammel MD, Allison KC, Epperson CN, Dokras A.: Cognitive-behavioral therapy improves weight loss and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a pilot randomized clinical trial. Fertility and Sterility 110(1): 161-171, July 2018.

Nugent BM, O'Donnell CM, Epperson CN, Bale TL: Placental H3K27me3 establishes female resilience to prenatal insults. Nature Communications 9(1): 2555, July 2018.

Hantsoo L, Golden CEM, Kornfield S, Grillon C, Epperson CN.: Startling Differences: Using the Acoustic Startle Response to Study Sex Differences and Neurosteroids in Affective Disorders. Current Psychiatry Reports 20(6): 40, May 2018.

Shanmugan S, Sammel MD, Loughead J, Baller E, Brown TE, Faust J, Domcheck S, Epperson CN.: Contribution of Mood Symptoms to Early Life Adversity Effects on Executive Function after Risk Reduction Salpingo-Opphorectomy. 73rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Biological Psychiatry, New York, NY May 2018.

Meltzer-Brody S, Kanes S, Riesenberg R, Epperson CN, Deligiannidis K, Rubinow R, Haihong L, Clemson C, et al.: Efficacy and Safety of Brexanolone IV Across Phase 2/3 Studies: First In-Class GABAA Receptor Positive Allosteric Modulator for Postpartum Depression. 73rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Biological Psychiatry, New York, NY May 2018.

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Last updated: 07/30/2019
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