Scientific Staff Profiles

This page allows you to read information about people engaged in research at CAMH. You can search for researchers using the name or keyword search engine below.

Dr. Robert D. Levitan Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 250 College Street, Room 1126 Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R8  (416) 535-8501 ext. 4020 robert_levitan@camh.net Dr. Robert Levitan is a Senior Scientist and Section Head of the Mood and Anxiety Program. He is an Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Search again?
Areas of Research Dr. Levitan is an expert on atypical subtypes of mood disorders characterized by depressed mood and increased eating behaviour, including atypical depression, chronic depression, seasonal affective disorder, and eating disorders such as binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. In many cases, these various disorders co-exist in the same individual, suggesting that one or more vulnerability factors are shared among them. Dr. Levitan integrates clinical research in adults with atypical depression with developmental research focused on the early origins of disease. This includes both genetic association studies and novel methodologies emerging from the rapidly evolving field of socio-biology, which focuses on the interplay of nature and nurture. A better understanding of the complexity inherent in these disorders will lead to new prevention strategies and treatment approaches.
Publications Levitan RD, Masellis M, Lam RW, Kaplan AS, Davis C, Tharmalingam S, Mackenzie B, Basile VS, Kennedy JL. A Season of Birth/Dopamine-4 Receptor Gene Interaction Associated with Weight Gain and Obesity in Women with Seasonal Affective Disorder: a Seasonal Thrifty Phenotype Hypothesis. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006;31:2498-2503. Levitan RD, Masellis M, Kaplan AS, Lam RW, Basile VS, Davis C, Muglia P, Tharmalingam S, Kennedy SH, Macciardi F, Kennedy JL. The Dopamine-4 Receptor Gene Associated with Binge Eating and Weight Gain in Women with Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Evolutionary Perspective. Biological Psychiatry. 2004;56:665-669. Levitan RD, Masellis M, Lam RW, Muglia P, Basile VS, Jain U, Kaplan AS, Tharmalingam S, Kennedy SH, Kennedy JL. Childhood Inattention and Dysphoria and Adult Obesity Associated with the Dopamine D4 receptor Gene in Overeating Women with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology. January 2004;29(1):179-86. Rybak YE, McNeely HE, Mackenzie B, Jain UR, Levitan RD. An Open Trial of Light Therapy in Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2006;67(10);1527-1535. Lam RW, Levitt AJ, Levitan RD, Enns M, Morehouse R, Michalak EE, Tam EM. The CAN-SAD STUDY: Randomized controlled trial of light therapy and fluoxetine in patients with winter seasonal affective disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2006;163:805-812. Levitan RD, Kaplan AS, Masellis M, Basile V, Richter M, Kennedy JL. The Serotonin-1Db Receptor Gene and Severity of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Women with Bulimia Nervosa. European Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006;16: 1-6.
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