Andrew Leuchter, MD
(he/him) - Psychiatry
About
Andrew F. Leuchter, MD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and Associate Director of the Semel Institute. He also is Director of the Neuromodulation Division at the Semel Institute. Dr. Leuchter is a graduate of Stanford University and the Baylor College of Medicine who joined the UCLA faculty in 1986.
An expert on the treatment of mood disorders, Dr. Leuchter directs the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinical and Research Service. This is one of the largest academic TMS program in the country, which performs more than 6,000 treatments each year for patients with depression, pain, and other neuropsychiatric illness.
Dr. Leuchter has authored over 200 scientific articles on topics including neuromodulation for the treatment of depression, EEG biomarkers to guide treatment of neuropsychiatric illness, and theories of antidepressant action. He teaches internationally on TMS and other neuromodulation methods, and received the 2019 Outstanding Research Mentor Award from the Semel Institute.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certification
Fellowship
Residency
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
- Super doctors, Southern California, 2024
- Super Doctors® Southern California, 2023, 2024
- Outstanding Research Mentor, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 2019
- Invited Plenary Speaker, 14th International Neuromodulation Society World Congress, Sydney, Australia. May 25, 2019
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Related Clinical Trials
Locations
UCLA Health Adult Psychiatry
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Research
Interests
Dr. Leuchter performs research to enhance TMS treatment effectiveness, as well as clinical trials to improve treatment of depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Dr. Leuchter’s research aims to develop novel treatment strategies and uses brain-imaging techniques, such as quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine brain function and predict which treatments are most likely to benefit individual patients.
Publications
Link to Dr. Leuchter's PubMed publications
- Voigt J, Carpenter L, Leuchter AF. A systematic review of the clinical efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in non-treatment resistant patients with Major Depressive Disorder. BMC Psychiatry. 2019 Jan 8; 19(1):13. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-018-1989-z
- Hunter AM, Minzenberg MJ, Cook IA, Krantz DE, Levitt JG, Rotstein NM, Chawla SA, Leuchter AF. Concomitant medication use and clinical outcome of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. Brain and Behavior. 2019 Mar 6; 9(5): e01275. DOI:10.1002/brb3.1275
- McGough JJ, Sturm A, Cowen J, Tung K, Salgari GC, Leuchter AF, Cook IA, Sugar CA, Loo SK. Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled, Pilot Study of Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2019 Apr; 58(4):403-411.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2018.11.013. Epub 2019 Jan 28. PMID 30768393
- Corlier J, Wilson A, Hunter AM, Vince-Cruz N, Krantz D, Levitt J, Minzenberg MJ, N Ginder, Cook IA, Leuchter AF. Changes in Functional Connectivity Predict Outcome of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. Cerebral Cortex. 2019 Dec; 29(12): 4958–4967. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz035
- Cook IA, Hunter A, Caudill M, Abrams M, Leuchter AF. Prospective testing of a neurophysiologic biomarker for treatment decisions in major depressive disorder: the PRISE-MD trial. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2020; 124: 159-165. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.02.028
- Tadayonnejad R, Wilson AC, Corlier J, Lee JC, Ginder N, Levitt JG, Wilke SA, Marder KG, Krantz D, Bari A, Feusner JD, Pouratian N, Leuchter AF. Sequential multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder with comorbid major depression: A case series. Brain Stimulation. 2020 Nov-Dec. 1600-1602. DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2020.10.003
- Lee JC, Wilson AC, Corlier J, Tadayonnejad R, Marder KG, Pleman CM, Krantz DE, Wilke SA, Levitt JG, Ginder ND, Leuchter AF. Strategies for augmentation of high-frequency left-sided repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of major depressive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2021 Feb. 132(2):643-649. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2020.10.017
- Voigt J, Leuchter AF, Carpenter L. Theta Burst Stimulation for the Acute Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Translational Psychiatry. 2021 May. 11(1):330. DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01441-4.
- Corlier J, Tadayonnejad R, Wilson AC, Lee JC, Marder KG, Ginder ND, Wilke SA, Levitt J, Krantz D, Leuchter AF. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of major depressive disorder and comorbid chronic pain: response rates and neurophysiologic biomarkers. Psychological Medicine. 2021 Jun. 1-10. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291721002178
- Leuchter AF, Wilson AC, Vince-Cruz N, Corlier J. Novel method for identification of individualized resonant frequencies for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) using repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS): a proof-of-concept study. Brain Stimulation. 2021
In the News
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Recognitions
Recent honors and awards:
- Super Doctors® Southern California, 2023, 2024
- Outstanding Research Mentor, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 2019
- Invited Plenary Speaker, 14th International Neuromodulation Society World Congress, Sydney, Australia. May 25, 2019
- Invited Plenary Speaker, Meeting of the Chinese Psychiatric Association. October 27, 2018