Barbara Sommer
Academic Appointments
- Associate Professor - Med Center Line, Psychiatry & Behavioral Science - Psychopharmacology
Contact Information
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Clinical Offices
Psychiatry 401 Quarry Rd Ste 2338 MC 5723 Stanford, CA 94305 Tel Work (650) 723-2423 Fax (650) 724-3144
Professional Snapshot
Clinical Focus
- Geriatric Psychiatry
- Psychiatry
Administrative Appointments
- Member, Stanford Hospital Well Being of Physicians Committee (2001 - present)
- Member, Stanford Hospital Care Review Committee (1997 - 2006)
Professional Education
| Board Certification: | Geriatric Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1991) |
| Board Certification: | Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (1985) |
| Fellowship: | Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital - OCD Department, MA (1985) |
| Residency: | Tufts-New England Medical Center, MA (1984) |
| Internship: | Baystate Medical Center, MA (1980) |
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Scientific Focus
Research Interests
My academic interest is in intellectual function and its adaptability over the course of a person’s lifetime despite the stressors placed upon it. Researchers have learned about a few risk factors for dementia, such as prolonged loss of consciousness, head injury, and old age. It is likely that there are also risk factors for non-Alzheimer’s cognitive loss causing the changes often attributed to normal aging. With a better knowledge of these risk factors, better protection against them at an earlier age and perhaps much of the lost cognition now attributed to normal aging might be spared.
My papers have focused on the evaluation of ways in which co-morbid factors such as folic acid deficiency or its administration, or anticholinergic drugs prior to ECT affect cognitive function. Anticholinergic medications deplete brain stores of the acetylcholine, known to be a key neurotransmitter in language acquisition and memory storage and retrieval. These drugs not only worsen symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but are known to cause delirium when given in high doses. I have been interested in the long-term effects of these drugs and whether cognitive impairment is prolonged.
Publications
- The efficacy, safety, and tolerability of donepezil for the treatment of young adults with Down syndrome Am J Med Genetics. 2009; (8): 1641-1654
- Slower speed-of-processing of cognitive tasks is associated with presence of the apolipoprotein epsilon4 allele. J Psychiatr Res. 2008; (3): 199-204
- Role of psychiatric comorbidity on cognitive function during and after the menopausal transition Expert Rev Neurotherapeutics. 2007; (11): S155
- Safety and efficacy of anticonvulsants in elderly patients with psychiatric disorders: oxcarbazepine, topiramate and gabapentin. Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2007; (2): 133-45
- Safety and tolerability of mood-stabilizing anticonvulsants in elderly Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2006; (3): 401
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