Faculty

Carmen Andreescu, MD

Professor of Psychiatry

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
ARGO Neuroscience of Aging Research Laboratory
Assistant
Sally Lagattuta
lagattutase@upmc.edu

Education & Training

MD
Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy
Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC
Geriatric Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC

Current Appointments

Co-Director, Clinical Research Training in Late-Life Mood Disorders

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry

Selected Honors & Awards

Hartford-Jeste Award for Future Leaders in Geriatric Psychiatry, American Psychiatric Association
Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Research Interests

Accelerated aging in late-life mood disorders; Neural basis of anxiety & depression in late-life; Biomarkers of treatment response
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Andreescu C, Lee S. Anxiety disorders in the elderly. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2020;1191:561-576. PMID: 32002946.
  2. Andreescu C, Ajilore O, Aizenstein HJ, Albert K, Butters MA, Landman BA, Karim HT, Krafty R, Taylor WD. Disruption of neural homeostatis as a model of relapse and recurrence in late-life depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019 Dec;27(12):1316-1330.
  3. Inagaki TK, Hazlett LI, Andreescu C. Opioids and social bonding: Effect of naltrexone on feelings of social connection and ventral striatum activity to close others. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2020 Apr;149(4):732-745. doi: 10.1037/xge0000674. Epub 2019 Aug 15.PMID: 31414860
  4. Karim HT, Tudorascu DL, Walker S, Aizenstein JH, and Andreescu C. In the grip of worry cerebral blood flow changes during worry induction and reappraisal in late-life generalized anxiety disorder. Translational Psychiatry, 2017
  5. Andreescu C, Sheu LK, Tudorascu D, Gross JJ, Walker S, Banihashemi L, Aizenstein H. Emotion reactivity and regulation in late-life generalized anxiety disorder: Functional connectivity at baseline and post-treatment. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015

Clinical Interests

Late-life mood and anxiety disorders; Neurocognitive disorders; Brain stimulation therapies
Selected Clinical Publications & Products
  1. Andreescu C, Varon D. New research on anxiety disorders in the elderly and an update on evidence-based treatments. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2015
  2. Aizenstein HJ, Khalaf A, Walker SE, Andreescu C. Magnetic resonance imaging predictors of treatment response in late-life depression. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2014
  3. Andreescu C, Aizenstein H. MRI studies in late-life mood disorders. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2012

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Resident education
Selected Education Publications & Products
  1. Varon D, Andreescu C: Amnestic Disorders and Mild Cognitive Impairment, in Kaplan & Sadocks Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 10th edition. Eds Benjamin J. Sadock, Virginia Alcott Sadock, Pedro Ruiz; Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 2016.
  2. Andreescu C: Late-Life Anxiety Disorders, in Geriatric Psychiatry (Pittsburgh Pocket Psychiatry). Eds. Mark D. Miller, LalithKumar K.Solai. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. 2013
  3. Lenze EJ, Wetherell JL, Andreescu C: Anxiety Disorders, in Essentials of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2nd edition. Eds Dan G. Blazer, David C. Steffens, American Psychiatric Publishing Press, Arlington VA, 2012
  4. Andreescu C, Aizenstein HJ: Amnestic Disorders and Mild Cognitive Impairment, in Kaplan & Sadocks Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 9th edition. Eds Benjamin J. Sadock, Virginia Alcott Sadock, Pedro Ruiz; Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 2010
  5. Lenze EJ, Wetherell JL, Andreescu C: Anxiety Disorders in the Elderly, in American Psychiatric Association Textbook of Geriatric Neuropsychiatry, 3rd edition. American Psychiatric Publishing Inc., 2011

Carmen Andreescu, MD, Honored by Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Psychiatry

Dr. Carmen Andreescu

We are delighted to report that Carmen Andreescu, MD (Professor of Psychiatry), has received the Weill Cornell Medicine Department of Psychiatry Perry Award, presented in memory of Samuel Wesley Perry III, MD. The Perry Award recognizes Dr. Andreescu’s exceptional program of research and mentorship that has advanced our understanding of the neural basis of depression and anxiety in older adults, and guided the use...

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...

Carmen Andreescu, MD, and Andrea Goldschmidt, PhD, Elected to Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Scientific Council

Drs. Carmen Andreescu and Andrea Goldschmidt

We are pleased to announce that Carmen Andreescu, MD (Professor of Psychiatry), and Andrea Goldschmidt, PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry), have been elected to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Scientific Council. The BBRF is the top non-governmental funder of mental health research grants. The Scientific Council reviews and selects the most promising research proposals with the greatest...

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Promotes Carmen Andreescu, MD, to Professor of Psychiatry

Carmen Andreescu, MD, Promoted to Professor of Psychiatry

We are pleased to announce that Carmen Andreescu, MD, has been promoted to Professor of Psychiatry by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Andreescu earned her MD from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” in Bucharest, Romania. She completed residencies in neurology at the University Hospital and psychiatry at the Al. Obregia Clinical Hospital in Bucharest. Dr. Andreescu served on...

The Department of Psychiatry’s Biggest-Ever Research Day

2023 Pitt Psychiatry Research Day Session

The 21st annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day, held on June 8, 2023 was the biggest Research Day ever, attended by more than 500 faculty members, trainees, and staff, and featuring 160 posters at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.   Lunchtime roundtables followed the morning poster session. More than 250 participants joined one of 30 roundtable discussion groups...