The People of the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center

Shashwath Meda Research Assistant Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center 200 Retreat Avenue Whitehall Building - Institute of Living Hartford CT 06106 Phone: 860-545-7700, ext 7804 Email: smeda@harthosp.org

Who Am I?

Shashwath Meda completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics from India. Following his Bachelors he went on to complete his Masters in Biomedical Engineering from Wayne State University (Michigan) in 2005. During his graduate career, he was part of the MR Research Facility (Detroit Medical Center) involved in active research on presurgical functional mapping and development of novel MR biomarkers for TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury), under the dual mentorship of Dr. E. Mark Haacke and Dr. Randall. R. Benson.

Early 2006 he joined The Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center as a Senior Research Assistant (COBBRA Lab) and currently serves as a liaison between PI’s and multiple projects involving complex data/imaging analysis. His major interests include Imaging Genetics, Novel functional/structural imaging and Connectivity analysis in populations with major neuropathology.

Current Projects

• VBM based SNP correlates of whole brain structural morphology in Healthies, Relatives of SZ and Schizophrenics.
• Influence of alcohol on driving - Investigating the functional brain circuitry and localization using ICA and SPM.
• Exploring and comparing working memory models using Dynamic Causal Modeling in healthy and psychiatric populations.

Grants

Harford Hospital New investigator grant - Characterizing the Dyslexia Phenotype using Genetics and MR Morphology
Role: Primary Investigator
 

Publications

Global White Matter Analysis of Diffusion Tensor Images is Predictive of Injury Severity in TBI
Benson RR, Meda SA, Vasudevan S, Kou Z, Govindarajan KA, Hanks RA, Millis SR, Makki M, Latif Z, Coplin W, Meythaler J, Haacke EM.
(J Neurotrauma. 2007 Mar;24(3):446-59)

Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Schizophrenia: Relationship to Symptoms
Laurie R. Skelly, B.S.; Vince Calhoun, Ph.D.; Shashwath A. Meda, M.S.; Jinsuh Kim, M.D., Ph.D; Daniel H. Mathalon, M.D., Ph.D; Godfrey D.Pearlson M.D. (Schizophrenia Research – In Press)

Polymorphic of DCDC2 reveals differences in cortical morphology of healthy individuals - A Preliminary Voxel Based Morphometric Study
Shashwath Meda, M.S.; Joel Gelernter, M.D.; Jeffrey R Gruen, M.D., F.A.A.P;Vince D Calhoun, Ph.D; Haiying Meng, M.D.; Natalie A Cope, Ph.D.; Godfrey D Pearlson, M.D (Under Review)

A Large Scale (N=400) Investigation of Gray Matter Differences in Schizophrenia Using Optimized Voxel-based Morphometry
S.A. Meda, N.R. Giuliani, V.D. Calhoun, K. Jagannathan, D.J. Schretlen, A. Pulver, N. Cascella, M. Keshavan, W. Kates, R. Buchanan, T. Sharma, G.D. Pearlson (In preparation...)

An Alpha7 Nicotinic Cholinergic Receptor (CHRNA7) Polymorphism Discriminates Figural Memory Abilities and Related Brain Structural and Functional MRI patterns in Healthy Adults
Wallace Deckel, Joel Gelernter, Michal Assaf, Vince D Calhoun, Shashwath Meda, Karyn Groth, Michael Stevens, Godfrey D Pearlson (In preparation...)

Alcohol dose effects on brain circuits during simulated driving: An fMRI study
S. A. Meda, V.D. Calhoun, R.S. Astur, B.M. Turner, K. Ruopp, G.D. Pearlson (In preparation...)

An fMRI study of Working Memory Abnormalities in Relatives of Schizophrenia
Manish Bhattarai , Shashwath A. Meda, Nicholas A. Morris, Cheedem H. Kuzu, Robert S. Astur, Vince D. Calhoun, Daniel H. Mathalon, Kent A. Kiehl, Godfrey D. Pearlson (In Preparation....)

Structural Changes in Depression in a Community-Based Sample and Comparison to a Comorbidity Sample
Rebecca J. Gordon, Shashwath A. Meda, Godfrey D. Pearlson (In preparation..)
 

Publications - Abstracts

Localization of Eloquent Cortex using Functional MRI - - GSRD 2005
S. A. Meda, K. Govindarajan, Z. Latif, E. M. Haacke, R. R. Benson

Whole Brain FA Histogram analysis for improved detection of DAI – ISMRM 2006
S.A.Meda, K. Govindarajan, R. Hanks Ph.D., J. Meythaler M.D., S. Millis Ph.D., Z. Latif, M. Makki Ph.D, W. Coplin M.D., E.M. Haacke Ph.D., R.R. Benson M.D

Reliability of Language Paradigms in fMRI for Pre-operative Mapping – ISMRM 2006
K. Govindarajan, S. A. Meda, Z. Latif, E. M. Haacke, R. R. Benson

Diffusion Tensor MRI of White Matter Correlates with Traumatic Brain Injury Severity – INTS 2006
S.A.Meda,, Z. Kou, K. Govindarajan, R. Hanks., J. Meythaler, S. Millis., Z. Latif, M. Makki, W. Coplin., E.M. Haacke., R.R. Benson

An Alpha7 Nicotinic Cholinergic Receptor (CHRNA7) Polymorphism Influences Figural Memory Abilities and Related Brain Structure and Function in Healthy Adults – SMI 2006
S. A. Meda, W. A. Deckel, M. Assaf, V.D.Calhoun, N. Giuliani, K. Groth, M. Stevens, J. Gelernter, G.D. Pearlson

Investigating alcohol dosage effects on brain circuits during simulated driving: An fMRI based study – OHBM 2007
S.A. Meda, V.D. Calhoun, G.D. Pearlson

Polymorphic deletion in DCDC2 affects Brain Morphology in Healthy Adults - A Voxel Based Morphometric Study – ISMRM 2007
S. A. Meda, J. R. Gruen, V. D. Calhoun,, J. Gelernter, H. Meng, G. D. Pearlson

Alcohol Dose effects on brain circuits during simulated driving: An fMRI study – ICANA 2008
S. A. Meda, V.D. Calhoun, R.S. Astur, B.M. Turner, K. Ruopp, B. Cuadra, G.D. Pearlson

Effect of Alcohol on Performance on Visual Oddball Task: An fMRI study – ICANA 2008
A.J.Allen, S.A.Meda, R.S.Astur, V.D.Calhoun, K.Ruopp, B.Cuadra, G.D.Pearlson

Anticipation of Rewards: Activation differences in current and former cocaine users using a monetary incentive delay task – ICANA 2008
A.D.Thomas, J.L.Hylton, S.A.Meda, M.M.Andrews, M.C.Stevens, G.D.Pearlson

Differences in reward circuit activation in people with a family history of alcoholism – ICANA 2008
M.M.Andrews, S.A.Meda, G.Book, J.L.Hylton, A.D.Thomas, M.Potenza, P. Worhunsky, M.C.Stevens, G.D.Pearlson