Faculty

Meryl A Butters, PhD

Meryl A Butters, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
Geriatric Neuropsychology Research Program

Education & Training

PhD
Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Arizona
Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Brown University
Neuropsychology, University of Pittsburgh

Current Appointments

Director, Neuropsychological Services, Benedum Geriatric Center
Director, Geriatric Neuropsychology Research Program

Professional Affiliations

Fellow, American Psychological Association, Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, Division 40
Member, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
Member, International Neuropsychological Society

Selected Honors & Awards

Edith Kaplan Award, Massachusetts Neuropsychological Society
Philip Troen, MD Award for Excellence in Medical Student Research Mentoring, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Senior Investigator Award, International College of Geriatric Psychoneuropharmacology
Nelson Butters Award for Research Contributions to Clinical Neuropsychology, National Academy of Neuropsychology

Research Interests

Aging and cognitive trajectory; Dementia risk factors; Late-life mood disturbances
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Runk A, Lehrer HM, Butters MA [Corresponding Author], Buysse DJ, Evans MA, Krafty RT, Hall MH. Retired night shift workers exhibit poorer neurocognitive function compared to retired day workers. Sleep. 2023. Epub 20230421. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsad098. PubMed PMID: 37084790.
  2. Weinstein AM, Gujral S, Butters MA (Corresponding Author), Bowie CR, Fischer CE, Flint AJ, Herrmann N, Kennedy JL, Mah L, Ovaysikia S, Pollock BG, Rajji TK, & Mulsant BH. Diagnostic precision in the detection of mild cognitive impairment: A comparison of two approaches. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2022; 30(1), 54-64. PMID: 34023224 PMCID: PMC8720569
  3. Ly M, Karim H, Becker JT, Lopez, OL, Anderson SJ, Aizenstein HJ, Reynolds CR, Zmuda MD, & Butters MA (Corresponding Author). Late-life depression and increased risk of dementia: a longitudinal cohort study. Translational Psychiatry 2021 Mar 2;11(1):147. PMID: 33654078. PMCID. PMC7925518.
  4. Diniz BS, Lin CW, Sibille E, Tseng G, Lotrich F, Aizenstein HJ, Reynolds CF, Butters MA (Corresponding Author). Circulating biosignatures of late-life depression (LLD): Towards a comprehensive, data-driven approach to understanding LLD pathophysiology. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2016;82:1-7. Epub 2016/07/23. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.07.006. PMID: 27447786. PMCID: PMC9344393

Clinical Interests

Neuropsychological evaluation of older adults

Education Interests

Research mentoring

Recent Research on Neural Network Connectivity in Late-Life Depression and Anxiety

Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry: CNNI

Recent papers in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging examine neural connectivity in late-life anxiety and depression. “Together, these two studies highlight the central role of the default mode network—a diverse set of brain regions theorized to integrate our experiences and sense of self—and its relationship with other large-scale brain networks in affective...

Pitt Psychiatry Research Published in Alzheimer's & Dementia

Investigators

Pitt Psychiatry investigators have recently published studies in Alzheimer's & Dementia. Below is a summary of recent original research on neural factors underlying cognitive and depressive symptoms in late life, sleep and rest–activity rhythms across different cognitive aging pathways, and the association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Altered Triple Network Model...

Neuropsychopharmacology: Brain and Cardiovascular Responses to Acute Stress in Remitted and Recurrent Late-Life Depression

Neuropsychopharmacology

Among older adults who successfully achieve clinical remission from depression, 35%-45% will experience a new depressive episode within two years. The factors that contribute to the emergence of recurrent depressive episodes in older adults are not well understood. Psychological stress may play a role in depression remission and recurrence, yet important questions remain about the brain and physiological profiles...

Pitt Psychiatry Hosts Second Annual Interventional Psychiatry Showcase

Collage of Interventional Psychiatry Showcase

In interventional psychiatry research, investigators marry technology development with new knowledge of alterations in neural circuitry in psychiatric disorders. The 2025 Department of Psychiatry Interventional Psychiatry Showcase, attended by faculty, staff, and trainees, focused on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS). Through lively lunchtime roundtables...

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: White Noise—Is Anxiety in Late-Life Associated With White Matter Hyperintensity Burden?

Drs. Andrew Gerlach and Carmen Andreescu

Anxiety disorders are prevalent in late life, with symptoms including severe (uncontrollable) worry and rumination. Late-life anxiety, worry, and rumination in the context of the aging brain can be associated with differences in volume and thickness of gray matter regions in the brain, as well as altered functional connectivity in the networks involved in emotion generation and regulation, but these changes may...