Education
Ph.D., University of Colorado
B.A., University of South Florida
Biography
Dr. Joanna Fowler is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Fowler graduated from the University of Colorado’s Ph.D. program in 1967 and joined Brookhaven National Laboratory in 1969, where she is currently a Senior Chemist. After joining Mount Sinai’s Department of Psychiatry in 2006, Dr. Fowler has collaborated with colleagues at Mount Sinai on brain imaging studies of Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), among other conditions.
Dr. Fowler has made significant contributions to brain research. Beginning in the 70’s, together with other researchers, Dr. Fowler developed a radiotracer to measure brain glucose metabolism non-invasively in humans. This tracer, 18FDG, has become the most widely used radiotracer in basic research and clinical settings, and has facilitated tremendous advances in the study of the human brain and in tumor detection in the patients with cancer.
Dr. Fowler’s work includes studies of the mechanisms of drug addiction, specifically how the rapid uptake and clearance of cocaine in the brain can help explain its typical pattern of abuse. She is currently engaged in developing methods to understand the relationship between genes, brain chemistry and behavior.
Dr. Fowler has more than 300 peer-reviewed publications to her credit and has received several awards, including the National Medal of Science and the National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemistry, both bestowed in 2009, the Distinguished Scientist Fellowship in Life Sciences in 2005 and the Distinguished Basic Scientist Award from the Academy of Molecular Imaging in 2005. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2004. Dr. Fowler holds eight patents for radiolabeling procedures.
Awards
2009 -
National Medal of Science
2009 -
National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Science
2002 -
Glen T. Seaborg Award
1998 -
American Chemical Society’s Francis P. Garvin-John M. Olin Medal
1997 -
Department of Energy’s E.O. Lawrence Award
1997 -
Society of Nuclear Medicine’s Paul Abersold Award
Research
Specific Clinical/Research Interests:
Organic synthesis and neurochemistry; radiotracer synthesis with positron emitters; mechanistic studies relating to the development of radiotracers for positron emission tomography (PET); translational applications of radiotracers to problems in neuroscience; PET studies of neurotransmitter activity, enzyme activity and drug mechanisms
Summary of Research Studies:
Dr. Fowler has recently focused on changes in brain that are disrupted during drug addiction. Her work has included imaging studies on the uptake and movement of cocaine and methamphetamine in the human brain, which shed light on why these drugs are so powerfully addictive. She is also involved in PET studies to understand the action of medications and to facilitate the introduction of new drugs.
Another research area targets variations in monoamine oxidase (MAO) genes and how they affect personality and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. In earlier research, Dr. Fowler discovered that cigarette smokers have reduced levels of MAO, an enzyme that breaks down dopamine, the neurotransmitter that mediates reward, motivation and movement. This finding may account for the high rate of smoking in individuals who are depressed or addicted to drugs.
Publications
Hooker JM, Riebel AT, Hill SM, Schueller MJ, Fowler JS. One-pot, direct incorporation of [11C]CO2 into carbamates. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2009; 48(19): 3482-3485.
Kil KE, Biegon A, Ding YS, Fisher A, Ferrieri RA, Kim SW, Pareto D, Schueller MJ, Fowler JS. Synthesis and PET studies of [(11)C-cyano]letrozole (Femara), an aromatase inhibitor drug. Nucl Med Biol 2009; 36(2): 215-223.
Reid AE, Hooker J, Shumay E, Logan J, Shea C, Kim SW, Collins S, Xu Y, Volkow ND, Fowler JS. Evaluation of 6-([18F]fluoroacetamido)-1-hexanoicanilide for PET imaging of histone deacetylase in the baboon brain. Nuclear Medicine and Biology 2009; 36(2): 247-258.
Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Logan J, Alexoff D, Zhu W, Telang F, Wang GJ, Jayne M, Hooker JM, Wong C, Hubbard B, Carter P, Warner D, King P, Shea C, Xu Y, Muench L, Apleskog-Torres K. Effects of modafinil on dopamine and dopamine transporters in the male human brain: clinical implications. JAMA 2009; 301(11): 1148-1154.
Alia-Klein N, Kriplani A, Pradhan K, Ma Y, Logan J, Williams B, Craig IW, Telang F, Tomasi D, Goldstein RZ, Wang GJ, Volkow ND, Fowler JS. The MAO-A genotype does not modulate resting brain metabolism in adults. Psychiatry Research 2008; 164(1): 73-76.
Fowler JS, Volkow ND, Logan J, Alexoff D, Telang F, Wang GJ, Wong C, Ma Y, Kriplani A, Pradhan K, Schlyer D, Jayne M, Hubbard B, Carter P, Warner D, King P, Shea C, Xu Y, Muench L, Apelskog K. Fast uptake and long-lasting binding of methamphetamine in the human brain: Comparison with cocaine. NeuroImage 2008; 43(4): 756-763.
Hooker JM, Schonberger M, Schieferstein H, Fowler JS. A simple, rapid method for the preparation of [11C]formaldehyde. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2008; 47(32): 5989-5992.
Reid A, Ding YS, Eckelman WC, Logan J, Alexoff D, Shea C, Xu Y, Fowler JS. Comparison of the pharmacokinetics of different analogs of 11C-labled TZTP for imaging muscarinic M2 receptors with PET. Nuclear Medicine and Biology 2008; 35: 287-298.
Alia-Klein N, Goldstein RZ, Kriplani A, Logan J, Tomasi D, Williams B, Telang F, Shumay E, Biegon A, Craig IW, Henn F, Wang GJ, Volkow ND, Fowler JS. Brain monoamine oxidase A activity predicts train aggression. Journal of Neuroscience 2008; 28(19): 5099-5104.
Baler RD, Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Benveniste H. Is fetal brain monoamine oxidase inhibition the missing link between maternal smoking and conduct disorders?. Journal of Psychiatry Neuroscience 2008; 33: 187-195.
Industry Relationships
Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.
Dr.Fowler is not currently required to report Industry relationships.
Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website at http://icahn.mssm.edu/about-us/services-and-resources/faculty-resources/handbooks-and-policies/faculty-handbook. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.