Jeffrey Meyer

Dr. Jeffrey Meyer is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the Neurochemistry of Major Depression. He is also the head of the Neurochemical Imaging Program in Mood and Anxiety Disorders in the Research Imaging Centre, based in the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at CAMH. He is full professor at the University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Meyer discovered the first definitive evidence of neuroinflammation during major depressive episodes. He also discovered that monoamine oxidase A binding is elevated during major depressive episodes; prior to recurrence of major depressive episodes; during high risk states for major depressive episodes such as early postpartum and perimenopause, as well as during some dysphoric states associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms such as alcohol dependence, early withdrawal from cigarette smoking and borderline personality disorder; and that serotonin transporter binding is increased in the winter relative to summer. He has conducted and published leading antidepressant occupancy studies for serotonin and dopamine transporters, 5-HT2A receptors and monoamine oxidase. His work was the first to establish the 80% therapeutic occupancy for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Dr. Meyer also created a dietary supplement composed of natural antioxidants and monoamine precursors and discovered it prevents depressed mood during postpartum blues, the prodromal state for postpartum depression (PNAS 2017). His publications include more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, 50 per cent as first/senior author. He is the lead/senior author of eight papers in JAMA Psychiatry/Archives of General Psychiatry and seven papers in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Dr. Meyer has received the AE Bennett Award from the Society of Biological Psychiatry, the Distinguished Investigator Award from Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, the Samarthji Lal Award from the Graham Boeckh Foundation, the John Dewan Prize from the Ontario Mental Health Foundation and the Royal College

Research Synopsis

Dr. Meyer’s priorities are identifying mechanisms of treatment-resistant depression and prevention of major depressive episodes, through identifying and understanding modifiable biological markers related to onset, and persistence of major depressive episodes. His current targets of interest are neuroinflammation (such as microglial/astroglial activation), mitochondrial markers (like monoamine oxidase), and the serotonin transporter. He primarily applies neuroimaging, but also uses related markers in preclinical approaches, towards understanding mechanisms. He is also involved in early phase trials of novel therapeutics, phase 0 trials to target pathological markers of depression, the development of new natural health products and the creation of novel peripheral biomarkers of mood disorders.