Additional Titles & Roles
- Director, Psychiatry Residency Training Program
- Vice Chair – Education
- Inpatient Attending
- ECT Attending
Education & Training
- Residency: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1993
- MD: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1989
- BA: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1985
Major Awards
- Resident Mentoring Award, 2015
- Excellence in Teaching Award, 2013
- Excellence in Teaching Award, 1993
- The Sandoz Award, In recognition of superior academic achievement and contribution to health care, 1989
Areas of Clinical Interest
psychosis, ECT, Alzheimer’s disease, intellectual disabilities, schizophrenia, major depression, psychopharmacology
Research Interests
My research focuses are both clinical and basic science. Clinically I am currently studying the use of ketamine for treatment resistant depression. Our current goal is to evaluate the utility of a 96-hour subchronic dosing approach. I am also exploring the potential use of propofol to treat MDD. In basic science I focus on the ability of neuroactive chemicals/compounds, prescribed drugs, and abused drugs to injure/kill neurons and glia in the CNS. Most of these agents appear to produce injury by inhibiting neuronal activity (e.g. NMDA antagonists, GABA mimetics, anticonvulsants). Other agents (e.g. solvents) have a less clear mechanism. Techniques used in the lab are pharmacological, histochemical (light and EM), neuroanatomical and cognitive/behavioral in nature. Results could be important for understanding childhood developmental disorders like mental retardation, autism, ADHD, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome as well as adult disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and Alzheimer’s disease.
Key Publications
- Lenze EJ, Farber NB, Kharasch E, Schweiger J, Yingling M, Olney J, Newcomer JW (2016 Apr). Ninety-six hour ketamine infusion with co-administered clonidine for treatment-resistant depression: A pilot randomised controlled trial. World J Biol Psychiatry. (3):230-8
Read publication »Acute D2/D3 dopaminergic agonism but chronic D2/D3 antagonism prevents NMDA antagonist neurotoxicity. - Farber NB, (2018 Nov). NMDA Antagonists for Treatment-Resistant Depression. Handb Exp Pharmacol.
Read publication »NMDA Antagonists for Treatment-Resistant Depression. - Hogan RE, Trammel ER, Farber NB, Avidan MS, Palanca BJA, (2019). Central-Positive Complexes: A Novel Characterization of Ictal Markers Induced During Electroconvulsive Therapy. J ECT. 35(4): e39-e45.
Read publication »Central-Positive Complexes: A Novel Characterization of Ictal Markers Induced During Electroconvulsive Therapy. - Farber NB (2003 Nov). The NMDA receptor hypofunction model of psychosis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1003119-30.
Read publication »The NMDA receptor hypofunction model of psychosis. - Noguchi KK, Cabrera OH, Swiney BS, Salinas-Contreras P, Smith JK, Farber NB (2015 Nov). Hedgehog regulates cerebellar progenitor cell and medulloblastoma apoptosis. Neurobiol Dis. 83:35-43.
Read publication »Glucocorticoid receptor stimulation and the regulation of neonatal cerebellar neural progenitor cell apoptosis. - Farber NB, Creeley CE, Olney JW (2010 Oct). Alcohol-induced neuroapoptosis in the fetal macaque brain. Neurobiol Dis. 40(1): 200-6.
Read publication »Alcohol-induced neuroapoptosis in the fetal macaque brain.
Funded Research Projects
NICHD(Significant Contributor):Washington University Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center
ICTS(PI):Maintaining Response to Ketamine in Patients with Major Depression
NIMH(Co-PI):Washington University Psychiatry Residency Research Education Program
NIMH(Significant Contributor):Brain and Cognitive Dynamics Following Electroconvulsive Therapy and Concurrent Anesthetic