Thomas B. Cooper, M.A., is Professor of Clinical Psychopharmacology in Psychiatry, at Columbia University. He is also Senior Research Scientist in the Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology Division (M.I.N.D.) at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Laboratory Director of Analytical Psychopharmacology at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research. Mr. Cooper is the Leader of the Conte Center for Suicide Prevention, Neurobiology and Genomics Laboratory Core 3.
Research Focus
Cooper’s research focuses on the development of novel analytical techniques to explore the metabolism of new psychotrophic compounds and enantiomers in an attempt to elucidate the true mode of action of these drugs of use or abuse.
His work explores the basic molecular pharmacology of alcohol abuse with particular emphasis on the endocannabinoid system. The laboratory is well equipped to analyze biological samples (plasma, CSF, tissue, urine, dialysates and hair) for psychotrophic drugs and metabolites, neurotransmitters and metabolites, neuroendocrine response measures, and many endogenous and exogenous compounds of interest in biological psychiatry.
Select Publications
1. Kegeles, L.S., Abi-Dargham, A., Zea-Ponce, Y., Rodenhiser-Hill, J., Mann, J.J., Van Heertum,R.L.,Cooper, T.B., Carlsson, A., and Laruelle, M.: Modulation of amphetamine- induced striatal dopamine release by ketamine in humans: Implications for schizophrenia. Biol.Psychiatry 48: 627-640, 2000. PMID:11032974
2. Xie, S., Suckow, R.F., Mason, B.J., Allen, D., and Cooper, T.B.: Rapid and sensitive determination of nalmefene in human plasma by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. J.Chromatog B:773:143-149, 2002. PMID: 12031840
3. Malone, K.M., Waternaux, C., Haas, G.L., Cooper, T.B., Li, S., Mann, J.J.: Cigarette smoking, suicidal behavior, and serotonin function in major psychiatric disorders. Am. J. Psychiatry 160:773-779, 2003. PMID: 12668368
4. Sher, Leo; Oquendo, Maria A; Galfalvy, Hanga C; Cooper, T.B; Mann, J. John. Age effects on cortisol levels in depressed patients with and without comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder, and healthy volunteers. Journal of Affective Disorders. Vol 82(1) Oct 2004, 53-59. PMID: 15465576
5. Milak, M.S., Ogden, R.T., Vinocur, D.N., Van Heertum, R.L., Cooper, T.B., Mann, J.J., and Parsey, R.V.:Effects of tryptophan depletion on the binding of [llC]-DASB to the serotonin transporter in baboons:Response to acute serotonin deficiency. Biol. Psychiatry 57:102-6, 2005. PMID: 15607307
6. Vinod KY, Arango V, Xie S, Kassir SA, Mann JJ, Cooper TB, Hungund BL: Elevated levels of endocannabinoids and CB1 receptor-mediated G-protein signaling in the prefrontal cortex of alcoholic suicide victims. Biol. Psychiat. 2005, 5:480-6. PMID: 15737662
7. Basavarajappa, B.S., Yalamanchili, R. Cooper, T.B. and Hungund, B. L. (2008): The Endocannabinoid System. In “Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology”. Pp 343-384, ED., A. Lajtha, Vol Ed. E. Sylvester Vizi and A. Lajtha, (Book Chapter), Springer, NY, USA (Invited Review).
8. Attia, E., Wolk, S., Cooper, T.B., Glasofer, D., Walsh, B.T.: Plasma tryptophan during weight restoration inpatients with anorexia nervosa. Biol. Psychiatry 57:674-8, 2005. PMID: 15780856
9. D’Souza, D.C., Abi-Saab, W.M., Madonick, S., Forselius-Bielen, K., Doersch, A., Braley, G., Gueorguieva,R., Cooper, T.B., and Krystal, J.H.: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol effects in schizophrenia: implications for cognition, psychosis, and addiction. Biol. Psychiatry 57:594-608, 2005. PMID 15780846
10. Krystal, John H; Perry, Edward B Jr.; Gueorguieva, Ralitza; Belger, Aysenil; Madonick, Steven H; Abi-Dargham, Anissa; Cooper, T.B; MacDougall, Lisa; Abi-Saab, Walid; D’Souza, D. Cyril. Comparative and Interactive Human Psychopharmacologic Effects of Ketamine and Amphetamine: Implications for Glutamatergic and Dopaminergic Model Psychoses and Cognitive Function. Archives of General Psychiatry. Vol 62(9) Sep 2005, 985-995. PMID: 16143730
11. Duncan, Erica; Bollini, Annie M; Sanfilipo, Michael; Wieland, Susan; Angrist, Burt; Rotrosen, John; Cooper,T.B. Diurnal variation in plasma homovanillic acid in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Schizophrenia Research. Vol 81(2-3) Jan 2006, 323-326. PMID: 16181774
12. D’Souza DC. Gil RB. Zuzarte E. MacDougall LM. Donahue L. Ebersole JS. Boutros NN. Cooper, T.B.Seibyl J. Krystal JH. gamma-Aminobutyric acid-serotonin interactions in healthy men: implications for network models of psychosis and dissociation. Biological Psychiatry. 59(2):128-37, 2006 Jan 15. PMID:16140281
13. Vinod KY, Yalamanchili R, Xie S, Cooper T.B, Hungund BL, Effect of chronic ethanol exposure and its withdrawal on the endocannabinoid system. Neurochem. Int. 2006, 49:619-625. PMIC: 15822589
14. Yaragudri, V., Kassir, S., Hungund, B., Cooper, T.B., Mann, J., Arango, V. Selective alterations of the CB1 receptors and the fatty acid amide hydrolase in the ventral striatum of alcoholics and suicides. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2010;44(9):591-7. PMID: 2001515, PMCID: PMC2878847
15. Kegeles, L., Abi-Dargham, A., Frankle, WG., Gil, R., Cooper, T.B., Slifstein, M., Hwang, DR. Increased Symaptic Dopamine Function in Associative Regions of the Striatum in Schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010:67(3): 231-239. PMID: 20194823