Brief Biography

Dr. Schachar trained in medicine at the University of Toronto and in psychiatry at McMaster University, Hamilton. A period of post doctoral training followed at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, England under the supervision of Professor Sir Michael Rutter. Schachar returned to The Hospital for Sick Children, where he initiated a clinical-research program in Neuropsychiatry, established a model clinical research program (Neuropsychiatry Team) and set up an active laboratory.

Dr. Schachar’s work is featured in leading North American and European Psychiatric journals such as the American Journal of Psychiatry, the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Human Brain Mapping, and the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology.

Schachar’s international role is evident in the contributions that he has made to leading texts in Child Psychiatry (Child Psychiatry, Modern Approaches. Fourth Edition. M. Rutter & E. Taylor, (Eds). Blackwell Scientific Publications; Oxford Textbook of Child Psychiatry. M.G. Gelfer, J.V. Jhopez-Ibor and N. Andreasen, Oxford University Press), in invitations to present at major meetings (Association for Child Psychology & Psychiatry, Emmanual Miller Research Day & Conference, London, March 2000; University of Southampton, England, March, 2004; University of Cardiff, Wales, March, 2004; European Association of Psychiatry, Geneva, April, 2004; New York University, Dept. of Psychiatry, December 2004; South African Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Annual Meeting, Durban, South Africa, 2005) and his membership on grant review panels at the National Institutes of Mental Health (2004) and Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

His national role is evident in positions such as the Editorship of the Special Issue on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (1998-2000) and his selection by The Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development (CEECD) for one of 10 best scientific papers, published in 2002 by Canadian researchers, on early childhood development.

Schachar has been an invited program reviewer at the British Columbia Women & Children’s Hospital, University (1999) and the Behavioral Research Unit, Alberta Children’s Hospital (2004). In 1995, he won the Elaine Schlosser Lewis Award, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr Schachar has been interviewed or widely quoted in the press on issues relating to children’s mental health. His research has been continuously funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Ontario Mental Health Foundation for approximately 25 years and he has published more than 130 journal articles.

Russell J. Schachar (MD) is a Senior Scientist at SickKids, Professor of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, and Director of Research and Fellowship Training in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Toronto.

Research Interests

Research Interests

• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Cognitive Function

Research Activities

Discovering the Causes of and Cures for ADHD

Dr. Schachar is a leader in cognitive and genetic studies of child psychopathology in particular Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). His widely cited research in response inhibition stimulated the development of new models of inhibitory control, of ADHD and of the mechanism by which genetic and neural risk factors such as brain injury lead to behavioural disorders such as ADHD. These discoveries carry wide and significant implications for normal and atypical development, gene discovery, diagnosis and, ultimately, therapeutic breakthroughs.

ADHD is a common, persistent, and impairing psychiatric disorder that is characterized by developmentally abnormal inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. It begins in early childhood and affects three to nine per cent of school age children, 50 per cent of individuals referred to children’s mental health facilities, and four per cent of adults. Over two million children in North America take stimulant medication to treat ADHD on a daily basis. For these reasons, ADHD poses a substantial burden on health care, educational, and judicial services. But perhaps most importantly, ADHD is a source of considerable distress and impairment for affected children, for their families, and for their offspring.

Along with his students and colleagues, Dr. Schachar focuses on identifying the cognitive deficits in ADHD, on discovering those parts of the brain that are affected in ADHD using function magnetic resonance imaging, and on identifying the genes that contribute to ADHD through family, twin and molecular genetic studies. In order to identify the specific brain regions involved in ADHD, the team also studies children who have suffered a traumatic brain injury and they track the link between their brain damage and the development of “secondary” ADHD and cognitive deficits that are found in both primary and secondary ADHD.

Through studying the families of individuals with a diagnosis of ADHD and by following these people over many years, Dr. Schachar aims to identify how cognition and genetic risks contribute to the poor outcomes that are seen in some, but by no means all, ADHD teens. ADHD teens are more likely than their non-ADHD peers to develop antisocial behaviour and substance abuse, to be involved in motor vehicle collisions, and are more likely to leave school prematurely.

Once we have identified cognitive deficits in ADHD, we will be able to develop strategies for early identification of ADHD children at risk for serious adolescent problems, create novel treatments, and promote the identification of genetic risks in ADHD. Genetic discovery in ADHD will lead to the identification of novel targets for drug intervention and of environmental risks which interact with these genes to increase risk of disease.

Publications

Crosbie J, Perusse D, Barr CL, Schachar RJ. (2008). Validating psychiatric endophenotypes: Inhibitory control and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 32, 40-55

Chevrier AD, Noseworthy MD, Schachar R. (2007). Dissociation of response inhibition and performance monitoring in the stop signal task using event-related fMRI. Hum Brain Mapp 28(12): 1347-58.

Schachar R. Logan GD. Robaey P. Chen S. Ickowicz A. Barr C. (2007) Restraint and cancellation: multiple inhibition deficits in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. [Journal Article. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 35(2):229-38.

Korenblum CB. Chen SX. Manassis K. Schachar RJ. (2007) Performance monitoring and response inhibition in anxiety disorders with and without comorbid ADHD. [Comparative Study. Journal Article. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Depression & Anxiety. 24(4):227-32.

Levin H. Hanten G. Max J. Li X. Swank P. Ewing-Cobbs L. Dennis M. Menefee DS. Schachar R. (2007) Symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder following traumatic brain injury in children. [Journal Article. Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. 28(2):108-18.

Goos LM. Ezzatian P. Schachar R. (2007) Parent-of-origin effects in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. [Journal Article. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Psychiatry Research. 149(1-3):1-9.

Leibenluft E. Rich BA. Vinton DT. Nelson EE. Fromm SJ. Berghorst LH. Joshi P. Robb A. Schachar RJ. Dickstein DP. McClure EB. Pine DS. (2007) Neural circuitry engaged during unsuccessful motor inhibition in pediatric bipolar disorder. [Case Reports. Journal Article. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] American Journal of Psychiatry. 164(1):52-60.

Ickowicz A. Schachar RJ. Sugarman R. Chen SX. Millette C. Cook L. (2006) The parent interview for child symptoms: a situation-specific clinical research interview for attention-deficit hyperactivity and related disorders. [Journal Article. Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't. Validation Studies] Canadian Journal of Psychiatry - Revue Canadienne de Psychiatrie. 51(5):325-8.

Wigg KG, Takhar A, Ickowicz A, Tannock R, Kennedy JL, Pathare T, Malone M, Schachar R, Barr CL. (2006). Gene for the serotonin transporter and ADHD: no association with two functional polymorphisms. American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric Genetics: the Official Publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics 141(6): 566-70.

Leblanc N, Chen S, Swank PR, Levin H, Schachar R. (2006). Impairment and recovery in inhibitory control after traumatic brain injury in children: effect of age at injury, injury severity and lesion location. Brain & Cognition 60(2): 208-9.

Charach A, Figueroa M, Chen S, Ickowicz A, Schachar R. (2006). Stimulant treatment over 5 years: effects on growth. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 45(4): 415-21.

Max JE, Schachar RJ, Levin HS, Ewing-Cobbs L, Chapman SB, Dennis M, Saunders A, Landis J. (2005). Predictors of secondary attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents 6 to 24 months after traumatic brain injury. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 44(10): 1041-9.

Schachar RJ, Crosbie J, Barr CL, Ornstein TJ, Kennedy J, Malone M, Roberts W, Ickowicz A, Tannock R, Chen S, Pathare T. (2005). Inhibition of motor responses in siblings concordant and discordant for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry 162(6): 1076-82.

Chevrier A, Noseworthy MD, Schachar R. (2004). Neural activity associated with failed inhibition: an event related fMRI study or performance monitoring. Brain & Cognition 54(2): 163-5.

Schachar RJ, Chen S, Logan GD, Ornstein TJ, Crosbie J, Ickowicz A, Pakulak A. (2004). Evidence for an error monitoring deficit in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 32(3): 285-93.

Levin HS, Hanten G, Zhang L, Swank PR, Ewing-Cobbs L, Dennis M, Barnes MA, Max J, Schachar R, Chapman SB, Hunter JV. (2004). Changes in working memory after traumatic brain injury in children. Neuropsychology 18(2): 240-7.

Crosbie, J. Schachar r (2001). Deficient inhibition as a marker for familial ADHD. Am J Psychiatry 158(11): 1884-90.

Solanto MV, Abikoff H, Sonuga-Barke E, Schachar R, Logan GD, Wigal T, Hechtman L, Hinshaw S, Turkel E. (2001). The ecological validity of delay aversion and response inhibition as measures of impulsivity in AD/HD: a supplement to the NIMH multimodal treatment study of AD/HD. J Abnorm Child Psychol 29(3): 215-28.

Jadad AR, Boyle M, Cunningham C, Kim M, Schachar R. (1999). Treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Summ)(11): i-viii, 1-341