Clinical Expertise

  • Bipolar Affective Disorder
  • Unipolar Major Depression
  • Neuropsychiatry
  • Impulse Control Disorders
  • Obssessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Opiate Addiction (Suboxone)
  • Personalized Medicine & Genomics

I am a board certified physician and scientist who specializes in the diagnosis and pharmacologic management of psychiatric illnesses. Guided by the principles of evidence-based medicine, I treat a broad range of psychiatric disorders, including those listed above. Moreover, I have substantial clinical experience managing complex neuropsychiatric syndromes, particularly in those individuals with a coexisting neurologic disease. Related to this clinical expertise, I have also published extensivly in the fields of developmental neurobiology, neuropharmacology, and neurogenetics. I am currently accepting new patients seeking evaluation and treatment or "second opinions," as well as, referrals for forensic consultation.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Wexler is a psychiatrist in practice for over 10 years, specializing in psychopharmacology and neuropsychiatry. Prior to entering private practice he was engaged in both clinic care and basic science research at the UCLA School of Medicine. There his clinical activities included an outpatient clinic that emphasizes mood and impulse control disorders, providing psychiatric consultation for patients with often rare, inherited or autoimmune forms of neurodegeneration. (e.g. patients in the UCLA Huntington's Disease Center of Excellence) and attending on the inpatient geriatric psychiatry unit at the UCLA/Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. Complementing these clinical efforts, his research agenda focused on the following areas: (1) Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of common mood stabilizers like lithium. (2) Developing novel experimental models of neuropsychiatric disease (e.g. dementia or autism), primarily using human neural stem cells. (3) Developing and applying novel network ("big data") analytic methods to the problem of understanding the signals that govern early nerve cell development, and how these contribute to brain dysfunction. In addition, he has provided discreet consultation services to individual or organization in the television, print media, legal and investment banking communities.

Dr. Wexler graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College with a degree in biochemistry, before entering medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During his medical schooling he undertook research in nerve cell development and neurotransmitter function, for which he was awarded both a medical degree (M.D.) and a doctorate in neurobiology (Ph.D.). He next completed his residency in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stanford University. He received his primary psychotherapy training with Dr. David Burns, best-selling author and early popularize of cognitive-behavioral therapy. He then pursued specialized fellowship training in psychopharmacology and neuronal regeneration at Stanford under the auspices of Dr. Alan Schatzberg, former American Psychiatric Association President and coauthor of the official APA Textbook of Psychopharmacology. During this period he also served as an attending physician in the Emergency Department of San Francisco General Hospital/UCSF. He later completed a research fellowship in neurobehavioral genetics at UCLA, before joining the full-time academic faculty at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, in the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry and the Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics. A more complete CV is presented on the next tab or may be downloaded at (PDF formated CV).

CURRICULUM VITAE

Education
2005 Postdoctoral Fellow; Neurogenetics & genomics; University of California Los Angeles
2001-2004 Postdoctoral Fellow; Psychopharmacology research, Departments of Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center
1989-1998 M.D. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
1998-2002 Resident; Stanford University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, Stanford, CA
1991-1998 Ph.D. Neuroscience; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
1985-1989 A.B. Biochemistry, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie NY
Professional Appointments:
2012-present  Adjunct Assistant Professor: Semel Institute: Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics and Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 
2006-2012  Assistant Professor: Semel Institute: Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics and Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 
2004-2006  Clinical Instructor: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 
2002-2004   Attending Psychiatrist: Psychiatric Emergency Services, San Francisco General Hospital University of California: San Francisco 
2000-2002  Psychiatrist: Schuman-Liles Clinic: Fremont CA 
Licensure
2004-present  Diplomate in psychiatry: #53505, American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology 
1999-present  DEA License: #BW6493631, #XW6493631 
1999-present  California Medical License: #A69685 
   

Recent Clinical Activities:

Current  Private practice psychiatry and forensic consulting 
2005-2012   Attending adult outpatient psychiatry clinic, UCLA 
2005-2012   Geriatric Psychiatry Attending, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, UCLA 
2005-2012   Consulting psychiatrist for UCLA Huntington's Disease Center of Excellence 
2005-2012   Consulting psychiatrist to the Neurogenetics Clinic, Department of Neurology 

Editorial Service:
 2002-present Ad Hoc reviewer for Cell, Cerebral Cortex, Neuron, Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience, Biological Psychiatry, Neurobiology of Disease, Clinical Psychiatry, and Stem Cells


RESEARCH AWARDS:
J.D.French Foundation for Alzheimer's Research
Development of transgenic human neural stem cells as a model of Alzheimer's disease.
Role: Principle Investigator 		2008-2012
California Institute of Regenerative Medicine
Regeneration of Functional Human Corneal Epithelial Progenitor Cells
Role: Coinvestigator		 2011-2014
National Institutes of Health NIMH-K08MH74362
Role of Wnt Signaling in Adult Hippocampal Progenitor Cell Development
Role: Principle Investigator		 2006-2011
National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
Effects Of Lithium/Wnt on Adult Neural Stem Cells
Role: Principle Investigator

2002-2006

APIRE/Wyeth Young Investigator Research Award
Effects of Mood Stabilizers In Human Neural Stem Cells
Role: Principle Investigator		 2002-2004
T32MH019938 Biobehavioral research training grant
(Alan Schatzberg M.D. & Theo Palmer Ph.D.);
Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA
Role: Postdoctoral Fellow
2001-2003
Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center fellowship
Sierra Pacific MIRECC (Jerome Yeavage M.D.)
Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, Palo Alto, CA
Role: Postdoctoral Fellow
2003-2004
T32NS048004 Neurobehavioral genetics training grant
Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology (Daniel Geschwind M.D., Ph.D.)
University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Role: Postdoctoral Fellow 		2004-2005

Teaching:

  1. Death and Rebirth: Insights from analysis of transcriptional time-series data. Neurobehavioral Genetics Affinity Seminar. UCLA Brain Research Institute (BRI). 2012
  2. Diagnosing and managing headache in the elderly psychiatric population. Advanced Geriatric Psychiatry Seminar UCLA 2012
  3. Wnt1 network analysis implicates canonical signaling in progranulin mediated frontotemporal dementia. International Wnt signaling meeting 2011 (Los Angeles)
  4. The Evolving Interface Between Neuropsychiatry and Basic Neuroscience (Course leader NS211); David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA 2010
  5. Dementia and the role of Wnt signaling. BRI UCLA 2010
  6. Management strategies for neuropsychiatric disease Advanced Geriatric Psychiatry Seminar UCLA 2010
  7. The Evolving Interface Between Neuropsychiatry and Basic Neuroscience (Course leader NS211); David Geffen School of Medicine UCLA 2009
  8. Atypical dementias: Advanced Geriatric Psychiatry Seminar UCLA 2009
  9. Managing inherited neuropsychiatric disease Advanced Geriatric Psychiatry Seminar UCLA 2008
  10. Early and rapid-onset dementias: Advanced Geriatric Psychiatry Seminar series UCLA 2007
  11. Psychiatric manifestations Huntington's Disease and related disorders: Current and future strategies for treatment Combined UCLA Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Neuroscience Grand Rounds, November 10, 2007
  12. Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Huntington's Disease: Neuropsychiatric Institute Grand Rounds October 30, 2007, Los Angeles CA
  13. Mood Stabilizers and Neurogenesis: Mental Retardation Research Center Symposium. 2007 Lake Arrowhead, CA 

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEETING PRESENTATIONS:

  1. Wexler E, Rosen E, Geschwind D. Altered canonical Wnt signaling implicated in progranulin-mediated frontotemporal dementia 2010 Neuroscience Meeting Planner San Diego, CA Society for Neuroscience; 2010.
  2. Rosen E, Wexler E, Versano R, Coppola G, Gao F, Oldham M, et al. Wnt signaling - Altered in PGRN mediated neuronal death and FTD 2010 Neuroscience Meeting Planner San Diego, CA Society for Neuroscience; 2010.
  3. Konopka G, Wexler E, Rosen E, Chen L, Osborn G, Lu D, et al. Modeling the functional genomics of autism using human neurons 2010 Neuroscience Meeting Planner San Diego, CA Society for Neuroscience; 2010.
  4. M. Groves, E. van Duijn, D. Craufurd, K. Anderson, M. Guttman, E. Wexler, S. Perlman, A. Rosenblatt, D. van Kammen, J. Giuliano, JM. Burgunder, L. Goodman. Prescription Usage For Treatment Of Irritability, Perseverative Behaviors, And Chorea. Huntington's Disease. European Huntington's Dis-ease Network Meeting (Pargue) J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry September 2010 Vol 81 Suppl 1 pA43
  5. M. Groves, E. van Duijn,, D. Craufurd, K. Anderson, M. Guttman, E. Wexler, S. Perlman, A. Rosenblatt, D. van Kammen, J. Giuliano, JM Burgunder, L. Goodman Delphi process for the development of consensus treatment guidelines for Huntington's disease (HD World Congress, Vancouver, B.C. 2009)
  6. Diverse Autocrine/Paracrine Wnt Signals Modulate Adult Neurogenesis, EM Wexler, TD Palmer, & DH Geschwind Society for Neuroscience 2007, San Diego CA
  7. Coppola G, Engelhardt M, Suberlak MN, Wexler EM, Santos M, Pandolfo M, et al. Functional genomic analysis of Friedreich's ataxia pathogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Neurology. 2007;68(12):A80-A
  8. Coppola G,Engelhardt M, Suberlak MN, Wexler EM, Santos M, Miranda CJ, et al. Functional genomic analysis of Fricdreich's ataxia pathogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Annals of Neurology. 2007;62:S24-S.
  9. Pang IH, Wexler EM, Walters RJ, Reyes M, Reyes A, Shade DL, et al. Protective effects of eliprodil in retinal and neuronal cells and tissues. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 1996;22(1-3):1279.
  10. Berkovich O, Wexler E, Nawy S. BDNF promotes survival of cultured retinal bipolar cells via a multi-receptor pathway. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 1996;22(1-3):998
  11. Wexler E, Stanton PK, Nawy S. Multiple kinases differentially modulate GABAergic conductances in cultured retinal neurons. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 1995;21(1-3):1840
  12. Wexler EM, Stanton PK. Prior synaptic activity enhances the induction of long-term depression (LTD) in hippocampus. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 1992;18(1-2):1351.
  13. Wexler E, Kava R, West DB, Vonderporten A, Greenwood MRC. Effects of high-fat and sucrose diets on glucose-tolerance of obese wistar fatty and zucker fatty rats. Faseb Journal. 1988;2(5):A1222-A.

Bibliography
Published Research Papers: Peer Reviewed:

  1. Brent L. Fogel, Eric Wexler, Amanda Wahnich, Chandran Vijayendran, Tara Friedrich1, Fuying Gao, Neelroop Parikshak, Genevieve Konopka1, Daniel H. Geschwind. RBFOX1 Regulates Both Splicing and Transcriptional Networks in Human Neuronal Development. Human Molecular Genetics 2012 (in press)
  2. Konopka G, Wexler E, Rosen E, Mukamel Z, Osborn GE, Chen L, et al. Modeling the functional genomics of autism using human neurons. [Cover Article] Mol Psychiatry, 2012 Feb;17(2):202-14
  3. Eric M Wexler and Brent Fogel (2011) Psychosis in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 10. Am J Psychiatry. 2011 Dec 1;168(12):1339-40
  4. Wexler EM, Rosen E, Lu D, Osborn GE, Martin E, Raybould H, et al. Genome-wide analysis of a wnt1-regulated transcriptional network implicates neurodegenerative pathways. Science Signal. 2011;4(193):ra65.
  5. Rosen EY, Wexler EM, Versano R, Coppola G, Gao F, Winden KD, et al. Functional genomic analyses identify pathways dysregulated by progranulin deficiency, implicating wnt signaling. Neuron. 2011;71(6):1030-42.N
  6. Nakano I, Joshi K, Visnyei K, Hu B, Watanabe M, Lam D, Wexler E, Saigusa K, Nakamura Y, Laks DR, Mischel PS, Viapiano M, Kornblum HI Siomycin A targets brain tumor stem cells partially through a MELK-mediated pathway. Neuro Oncol. 2011;13(6):622-34.
  7. Mukamel Z, Konopka G, Wexler E, Osborn GE, Dong H, Bergman MY, et al. Regulation of MET by FOXP2, Genes Implicated in Higher Cognitive Dysfunction and Autism Risk. J Neurosci. 2011;31(32):11437-42.
  8. Wexler EM, Paucer A, Kornblum HI, Palmer TD, Geschwind DH. Endogenous Wnt signaling maintains neural progenitor cell potency. Stem Cells. 2009;27(5):1130-41.
  9. Wexler EM, Geschwind DH, Palmer TD. Lithium regulates adult hippocampal progenitor development through canonical Wnt pathway activation. [Cover Article] Mol Psychiatry. 2008;13(3):285-92.
  10. Coppola G, Choi SH, Santos MM, Miranda CJ, Tentler D, Wexler EM, et al. Gene expression profiling in frataxin deficient mice: microarray evidence for significant expression changes without detectable neurodegeneration. Neurobiol Dis. 2006;22(2):302-11.
  11. Dougherty JD, Garcia AD, Nakano I, Livingstone M, Norris B, Polakiewicz R, Wexler EM, Sofroniew MV, Kornblum HI, Geschwind DH. PBK/TOPK, a proliferating neural progenitor-specific mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase. J. Neurosci. 2005;25(46):10773.
  12. Pang IH, Wexler EM, Nawy S, DeSantis L, Kapin MA. Protection by eliprodil against excitotoxicity in cultured rat retinal ganglion cells. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 1999;40(6):1170.
  13. Wexler EM, Stanton PK, Nawy S. Nitric oxide depresses GABAA receptor function via coactivation of cGMP-dependent kinase and phosphodiesterase. Journal of Neuroscience. 1998;18(7):2342.
  14. Wexler EM, Berkovich O, Nawy S. Role of the low-affinity NGF receptor (p75) in survival of retinal bipolar cells. Visual Neuroscience. 1998;15(2):211.
  15. Wexler EM, Stanton PK. Priming of homosynaptic long-term depression in hippocampus by previous synaptic activity. Neuroreport. 1993;4(5):591.

Research Papers in preparation or review:

  1. Tova F. Fuller, Roel A. Ophoff,, Chaochao Cai, Peter Langfelder, Stanley T. Parish, Eric M. Wexler, Dan Geschwind, Gil Atzmon,, Nir Barzilai,, Aviv Bergman, Leonard H. van den Berg, Giovanni Coppola, Rita B. Effros,, Steve Horvath, (2012 PLOS Biology in review): Genes and pathways mediating human aging
  2. Wexler E., Lu D., Mathews E, Gao F., Coppola G., and Geschwind D.H (2012) Mood stabilizers lithium and valproic acid activate complementary neurodevelopmental programs. (2012 Molecular Psychiatry in review):

Reviews & Book Chapters:

  1. EM WexlerTreating the psychiatric complications of neurodegenerative disease — Invited review in Neurologic Clinics (Elsevier in press 2013)
  2. EM Wexler and DH Geschwind DISC1: a schizophrenia gene with multiple personalities. Neuron 2011 Nov 17;72(4):501-3. E.M. Wexler (2011) Cell based therapies - gene therapy/stem cell therapy in the future for degenerative disorders in Principles and Practice of Geriatric Psychiatry 3e", Wiley-Blackwell.
  3. Wexler E, Geschwind DH. Out FOXing Parkinson disease: where development meets neurodegeneration. PLoS Biol. 2007;5(12):e334. PMCID: 2140089.
  4. Wexler E. Markers of adult neural stem cells. Methods Mol Biol. 2008;438:243-68.
  5. Wexler E, Palmer T. Where, oh where, have my stem cells gone? Trends Neurosci. 2002;25(5):225-7.
  6. E.M. Wexler Development and Electrophysiology of Cultured Mammalian Retinal Interneurons. (1997). Doctoral Thesis
  7. Stanton PK, Wexler EM, Velisek L, Hedberg T. Long-Term Depression Of Synaptic Transmission: Cellular Mechanisms And Regulation By Previous Synaptic History. In: Baudry M, Davis JL, editors. Long-term potentiation, volume 2. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press; 1994. p. 169-86.

Eric Wexler MD, PhD -- 2730 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 325. -- Santa Monica CA, 90403 -- TEL: 310-744-5102 -- FAX: 310-919-1919 -- info@ericwexlermd.com