The Neuroanatomy Laboratory

Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs Medical Center

The Neuroanatomy Laboratory, under the direction of William Byne, M.D., Ph.D., examines correlations between brain structure and function in health and mental illness. Primary areas of interest include thalamocortical circuitry in schizophrenia and hypothalamic sexual dimorphism. The laboratory is equipped for routine neurohistology and immunohistochemistry, as well as for laser microdissection and microscopic computer-assisted three-dimensional stereology-based morphometric analysis of postmortem tissues. Via high-speed internet connection with the PET Laboratory at Mount Sinai directed by Monte Buchsbaum, M.D., the Neuroanatomy Laboratory can access, process, and quantitatively analyze in vivo brain scans. New initiatives in the laboratory include gene expression analysis of identified cells and cytoarchitectonically identified brain regions harvested from histological sections by laser microdissection.

Training Opportunities

While there is no formal fellowship organized by the Neuroanatomy Laboratory, Dr. Byne welcomes interested researchers to contact him about possible training opportunities.

Representative Research Publications

Mitelman, S.A., Byne, W., Kemether, E.M., Hazlett, E.A., Buchsbaum, M.S. (2005) Metabolic disconnection between the mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus and cortical Brodmann's areas of the left hemisphere in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry 162:1733-1735.

Byne, W., Kidkardnee, S., Tatusov A., Yiannoulos, G. and Haroutunian, V. (2006) Schizophrenia-associated reduction of neuronal and oligodendrocyte numbers in the anterior principal thalamic nucleus. Schizophrenia Research 87:6-14.

Mitelman, S.A., Byne, W., Kemether, E., Newmark, R.E., Hazlett, E.A., Haznedar, M.H., Buchsbaum, M.S. (2006) Metabolic thalamocortical correlations during a verbal learning task and their comparison with correlations among regional volumes, Brain Research 1114:125-137.

Byne, W., Fernandes, J., Haroutunian, V., Huacon, D., Kidkardnee, S., Kim, J. Tatusov, A. Thakur, U., Yiannoulos, G. (2007) Reduction of right medial pulvinar volume and neuron number in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research 30: 90:71-75.

Schneiderman, J.S., Buchsbaum, M.S., Haznedar, M.M., Hazlett, E.A., Brickman, A.M., Shihabuddin, L., Brand, J.G., Torosjan ,Y., Newmark, R.E., Tang, C., Aronowitz, J., Paul-Odouard, R., Byne, W., Hof, P.R.. (2007) Diffusion tensor anisotropy in adolescents and adults. Neuropsychobiology 55: 96-111.

Byne, W., Dracheva, S., Chin, B. Schmeidler, J.M., Davis, K.L. and Haroutunian, V. Schizophrenia and sex associated differences in the expression of neuronal and oligodendrocyte specific genes in individual thalamic nuclei. Schizophrenia Research, in press.

Contact Information

William Byne M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Neuroanatomy Laboratory
Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center
130 W. Kingsbridge Road
Bronx, NY 10468
E-mail: willliam.byne@mssm.edu

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