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Principal Investigator: David A Isaacs
Organization: VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $176,796
Funding agency: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Project Summary / Abstract
Candidate: David Isaacs, MD, MPH is Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at Vanderbilt
University Medical Center. During his faculty tenure, he has demonstrated enthusiasm and aptitude for patient-
centered research, with emphasis on non-motor aspects of movement disorders. Notable early career
highlights include founding Vanderbilt’s Adult Tourette Syndrome (TS) Clinic and co-directing Vanderbilt’s
Tourette Association of America (TAA) Center of Excellence; securing multiple extra- and intra-mural grants,
including the TAA Young Investigator Award to support research into sensory phenomena in TS; and serving
as site principal investigator for industry-sponsored clinical trials in TS. He seeks to become a leading
researcher in neurophysiologic mechanisms of non-motor symptoms in TS and other movement disorders.
Research Project: TS affects 0.5-0.8% of school-aged children, one-third of whom suffer bothersome tics into
adulthood. Tics are the defining feature of TS, but sensory symptoms are widespread. In particular, over 50%
of children and 80% of adults with TS report sensory over-responsivity (SOR), defined as heightened
awareness of and behavioral reactivity to sensory stimuli. SOR is an integral facet of the TS phenotype, but
significant knowledge gaps surround its clinical significance and neurobiological underpinnings. This proposal
seeks to clarify the mechanistic bases of SOR in TS (Aims 1 and 2) and to determine whether SOR is a risk
marker for more severe clinical course in TS (Aim 3). To achieve Aims 1 and 2, Dr. Isaacs will use quantitative
electroencephalography (EEG) and multi-modal autonomic measurement to assess neurophysiologic response
to auditory and tactile stimuli in adults with TS. To achieve Aim 3, he will use validated rating scales to assess
motor, sensory, and psychiatric symptoms in adolescents with TS at two time points: baseline and 2 years.
Study results will deepen insight into TS pathophysiology and identify risk markers for more severe TS course.
Career Development Plan and Goals: With guidance from his Scientific Steering Committee, Dr. Isaacs has
created a curriculum incorporating formal coursework, workshops, conferences, and individualized training with
mentors and collaborators to adequately prepare himself for independent research in the neurophysiologic
basis of non-motor aspects of movement disorders. His short-term career goals are to develop proficiency in 1)
measurement of sensory and neuropsychiatric symptoms; 2) event-related potentials and quantitative EEG
methodology; and 3) psychophysiological techniques complementary to EEG.
Environment: Vanderbilt University Medical Center is an optimal academic environment for nurturing Dr.
Isaacs’ maturation into a fully-fledged independent researcher. The institution has an exceptional track record
for fostering productive, independently funded, and internationally renowned clinician-scientists. The primary
mission of Vanderbilt’s Clinical and Translational Science Award is provision of infrastructure for clinical
research excellence, with an entire arm devoted to training and career development.
Terms: <0-11 years old><12-20 years old><21+ years old><AD/HD><ADHD><Academic Medical Centers><Accounting><Active Follow-up><Adolescence><Adolescent><Adolescent Youth><Adult><Adult Human><Affect><Age><Aptitude><Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder><Auditory><Autonomic Dysfunction><Award><Awareness><Behavior><Behavioral><Biological Markers><Cardiac Chronotropism><Cell Communication and Signaling><Cell Signaling><Child><Child Youth><Childhood><Children (0-21)><Clinic><Clinical><Clinical Management><Clinical Research><Clinical Study><Clinical Trials><Clinical Trials Design><Clinical and Translational Science Awards><Clothing><Curriculum><Data><Development><Development Plans><Diagnosis><Dimensions><Disease><Disorder><Distress><Drugs><Dysfunction><Dyskinesia Syndromes><EEG><Educational Curriculum><Educational workshop><Electroencephalogram><Electroencephalography><Emotional><Ensure><Environment><Event><Event-Related Potentials><Exhibits><Faculty><Fostering><Frequencies><Functional disorder><Functional impairment><Funding><Future><General Population><General Public><Gilles de la Tourette syndrome><Gilles de la Tourette's Disease><Goals><Grant><Guinon's disease><Heart Rate><Heterogeneity><Impairment><Individual><Industry><Institution><International><Intracellular Communication and Signaling><Investigation><Investigators><Knowledge><Link><Longitudinal Studies><Measurement><Medication><Mental disorders><Mental health disorders><Mentors><Methodology><Mission><Modeling><Monitor><Motor><Movement Disorder Syndromes><Movement Disorders><NINDS><National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke><National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke><Nature><Neurobiology><Neurodevelopmental Disorder><Neurological Development Disorder><Neurology><Noise><Older Population><Organism-Level Process><Organismal Process><Patients><Perception><Pharmaceutical Preparations><Phenotype><Physiologic Processes><Physiologic Psychology><Physiological Processes><Physiological Psychology><Physiopathology><Population><Practice Guidelines><Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type Attention-Deficit Disorder><Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type Hyperactivity Disorder><Principal Investigator><Productivity><Psychiatric Disease><Psychiatric Disorder><Psychophysiological><Psychophysiology><QOL><Quality of life><R-Series Research Projects><R01 Mechanism><R01 Program><Reporting><Research><Research Grants><Research Personnel><Research Project Grants><Research Projects><Research Proposals><Research Support><Researchers><Rest><Risk><Risk Marker><Sample Size><Sampling><Scalp><Scalp structure><School-Age Population><Scientist><Secure><Sensory><Sensory Disorders><Sensory Manifestations><Severities><Signal Transduction><Signal Transduction Systems><Signaling><Site><Skin><Stimulus><Symptoms><Tactile><Techniques><Tic Disorder, Combined Vocal and Multiple Motor><Time><Tourette Syndrome><Tourette's><Tourette's Disease><Tourette's Disorder><Tourette's Syndrome><Training><University Medical Centers><Visit><Workshop><active followup><adolescence (12-20)><adulthood><age group><ages><arm><base><bases><bio-markers><biologic marker><biological signal transduction><biomarker><candidate biomarker><candidate identification><candidate marker><career><career development><clinical development><clinical infrastructure><clinical risk><clinical significance><clinically significant><conference><convention><developmental><disease model><disorder model><drug/agent><event related potential><experience><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><heart rate variability><improved><indexing><insight><juvenile><juvenile human><kids><lesson plans><life span><lifespan><long-term study><longitudinal outcome studies><longterm study><maladie des tics><mental illness><motor symptom><multi-modality><multimodality><neurobiological><neurodevelopmental disease><neurophysiological><neurophysiology><neuropsychiatric symptom><non-motor symptom><nonmotor symptom><novel><older groups><older individuals><older person><pathophysiology><patient centered><patient oriented><pediatric><perceptual stimulus><physicochemical phenomena related to the senses><physiopsychology><premonitory sensory phenomena><professor><psychiatric illness><psychiatric symptom><psycho-physiological><psychological disorder><recruit><response><risk predictor><risk predictors><school age><sensory gating><sensory input><sensory phenomena><sensory stimulus><sex><study population><summit><symposia><symposium><tic de Guinon><youngster>