Biographical Sketch
Dr. Berman evaluates and treats patients with Parkinson's disease and related disorders, along with other movement disorders, as part of the Comprehensive Movement Disorders Clinic. In addition, she evaluates and treats patients with neurodegenerative dementias, with a special emphasis on Dementia with Lewy Bodies. Dr. Berman also evaluates and manages patients with deep brain stimulators (DBS) implanted for Parkinson’s disease, tremor, and dystonia, overseeing management and programming of stimulators, and evaluations and referrals for new patient candidates. Dr. Berman is also a principal investigator with the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases (PIND She is an Associate Director of the Clinical Core at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) and is the Director of Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) Programs.
Education & Training
- Post Doc, Johns Hopkins University. Molecular Microbiology & Immunology; Neurology
- Resident, Johns Hopkins University, Neurology
- PhD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Neuroscience
- MD, University of Pittsburgh
Specialized Areas of Clinical, Research and/or Educational Interests
- Research: Neurodegeneration, Role of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases
- Clinical: Parkinson’s disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, other Movement Disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias; Deep Brain Stimulation
Board Certifications
- American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Professional Organization Membership
- Medical Advisory Board, Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania
- American Academy of Neurology
- Society for Neuroscience
- The Movement Disorders Society
- Parkinson Study Group
Honors & Awards
- Departmental Honors, Program in Human Biology, Stanford University
- Andrew Mellon Fellowship Awards, University of Pittsburgh
- Harold L. Mitchell Prize for Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical School
- Jay Slotkin Award for Excellence in Research, Johns Hopkins University Department of Neurology
- Selected for Best Doctors of America, Castle Connelly Regional Top Doctors and Exceptional Women in Medicine
Selected Recent Publications
Dukes AA, Bai Q, Van Laar VS, Zhou Y, Ilin V, David CN, Agim ZS, Bonkowsky JL, Cannon JR, Watkins SC, Croix CM, Burton EA, Berman SB. Live imaging of mitochondrial dynamics in CNS dopaminergic neurons in vivo demonstrates early reversal of mitochondrial transport following MPP(+) exposure. Neurobiol Dis. 2016 Nov;95:238-49. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2016.07.020. Epub 2016 Jul 22. PMID: 27452482; PMCID: PMC5010936.
Van Laar VS, Arnold B, Howlett EH, Calderon MJ, St Croix CM, Greenamyre JT, Sanders LH, Berman SB. Evidence for Compartmentalized Axonal Mitochondrial Biogenesis: Mitochondrial DNA Replication Increases in Distal Axons As an Early Response to Parkinson's Disease-Relevant Stress. J Neurosci. 2018 Aug 22;38(34):7505-7515. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0541-18.2018. Epub 2018 Jul 20. PMID: 30030401; PMCID: PMC6104298.
Berman SB, Miller-Patterson C. PD and DLB: Brain imaging in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2019;165:167-185. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2019.07.009. Epub 2019 Aug 7. PMID: 31481162.
Barthélemy NR, Li Y, Joseph-Mathurin N, Gordon BA, Hassenstab J, Benzinger TLS, Buckles V, Fagan AM, Perrin RJ, Goate AM, Morris JC, Karch CM, Xiong C, Allegri R, Mendez PC, Berman SB, Ikeuchi T, Mori H, Shimada H, Shoji M, Suzuki K, Noble J, Farlow M, Chhatwal J, Graff-Radford NR, Salloway S, Schofield PR, Masters CL, Martins RN, O'Connor A, Fox NC, Levin J, Jucker M, Gabelle A, Lehmann S, Sato C, Bateman RJ, McDade E; Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network. A soluble phosphorylated tau signature links tau, amyloid and the evolution of stages of dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease. Nat Med. 2020 Mar;26(3):398-407. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0781-z. Epub 2020 Mar 11. PMID: 32161412; PMCID: PMC7309367.