Robert W. McCarley,MD, (1937–2017)[1]was Chair and Professor of Psychiatry atHarvard Medical Schooland theVA Boston Healthcare System.He is also Director of the Laboratory of Neuroscience located at theBrocktonVA Medical Center and theMcLean Hospital.McClarley was a prominent researcher in the field ofsleepanddreamingas well asschizophrenia.
Robert W. McCarley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1937 Mayfield, Kentucky,United States |
| Died | May 27, 2017(aged 79–80) |
| Alma mater | Harvard College,Harvard Medical School |
| Known for | Activation-synthesis hypothesis |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychiatryanddreamresearch |
McCarley graduated fromHarvard Collegein 1959 and Harvard Medical School in 1964. During his residency at Massachusetts Mental Health Center, he studied withJ. Allan Hobson.In 1977, Hobson and McCarley developed theactivation synthesis theoryof dreaming that said that dreams do not have meanings and are the result of the brain attempting to make sense of random neuronal firing in the cortex.[2]McCarley has extensively studied thebrainstemmechanisms that controlREM sleep.[3]Additionally, he has studied the buildup ofadenosinein thebasal forebrainfollowingsleep deprivation.[4]
In the area of schizophrenia, McCarley has studied brain abnormalities in patients with schizophrenia. McCarley and Martha Shenton published a classic paper in 1992 that described a relationship in a reduction in the volume of the leftsuperior temporal gyrusandthought disorderin patients with schizophrenia.[5]
McCarley has been presented with many awards for his research. In 1998, he received William S. Middleton Award which is the highest honor awarded to aVAbiomedical research scientist.[6]He has also been presented awards from theSleep Research Society,American Psychiatric Association,andAmerican Academy of Sleep Medicine.
In 2007, McCarley was ranked as the ninth most cited author in the field of schizophrenia research over the past decade.[7]McCarley has published around 300 research articles and several books and book chapters such asBrain Control of Wakefulness and Sleep.[8]
References
edit- ^In Memoriam: Prof. Robert W. McCarley, 1937-2017, SRS President 1991-1992
- ^Hobson JA, McCarley RW. The brain as a dream state generator: an activation-synthesis hypothesis of the dream process. Am J Psychiatry. 1977 Dec;134(12):1335-48
- ^McCarley RW. Neurobiology of REM and NREM sleep. Sleep Med. 2007 Jun;8(4):302-30.
- ^Basheer R, Strecker RE, Thakkar MM, McCarley RW. Adenosine and sleep-wake regulation. Prog Neurobiol. 2004 Aug;73(6):379-96.
- ^Shenton ME, Kikinis R, Jolesz FA, et al. Abnormalities of the left temporal lobe and thought disorder in schizophrenia. A quantitative magnetic resonance imaging study. N Engl J Med. 1992 Aug 27;327(9):604-12.
- ^VA Research Awards Program
- ^Essential Science Indicators,Special Topics-Schizophrenia
- ^Steriade MM and McCarley RW. Brain Control of Wakefulness and Sleep. Springer; 2nd ed. edition, 2005.
External links
edit- An ESSAY with Dr. Robert McCarley
- Faculty Profile,Harvard Medical School