Diego A. Pizzagalli

Pizzagalli received his M.S. in Psychology in 1995 and Ph.D. in Psychology in 1998 from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. He then pursued a postdoctoral fellowship in affective neuroscience with Richard J. Davidson at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he used neuroimaging approaches (e.g., electroencephalogram, positron emission tomography) to identify neural markers associated with different symptom profiles and treatment response in major depression.

From 2002 to 2010, Pizzagalli was a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, where he served as the John and Ruth Hazel Associate Professor of the Social Sciences. In 2010, Pizzagalli joined McLean Hospital, Massachusetts to serve as the Founding Director of the Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research (CDASR).^{{{Cite web |title=CDASR {{!}} Director's Message |url=https://cdasr.mclean.harvard.edu/about/directors-message/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=cdasr.mclean.harvard.edu}}} At McLean Hospital, Pizzagalli was also the Director of the McLean Imaging Center (MIC),{{Cite web |title=McLean Hospital {{!}} McLean Imaging Center |url=https://www.mcleanmri.org/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.mcleanmri.org}} the Director of Research for the Division of Depression & Anxiety Disorders,{{Cite web |title=Divisions at McLean Hospital |url=https://www.mcleanhospital.org/about/divisions |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.mcleanhospital.org}} the Director of the McLean Conte Center for the Neurobiology of Approach-Avoidance Decision Making,{{Cite web |title=McLean Conte Center for the Neurobiology of Approach-Avoidance Decision Making at McLean Hospital |url=https://www.mcleanhospital.org/research/naadm |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.mcleanhospital.org}} and the Director of the Laboratory for Affective and Translational Neuroscience.{{Cite web |title=CDASR {{!}} Laboratory for Affective and Translational Neuroscience |url=https://cdasr.mclean.harvard.edu/latn/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=cdasr.mclean.harvard.edu |language=en-US}}

In addition, he served as a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School{{Cite web |title=Diego Pizzagalli |url=https://dms.hms.harvard.edu/people/diego-pizzagalli |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=dms.hms.harvard.edu |language=en}} and held the position of Director of a Silvio O. Conte Center for Basic Translational Mental Health Research. Funded through a five-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), this center is dedicated to studying the neurobiology of depression and anxiety disorders and identifying new treatment targets.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-19 |title=2022 Symposium {{!}} Conte Center @ UCI |url=https://contecenter.uci.edu/2022-symposium/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |language=en-US}}

He served as Scientific Advisor on the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).{{Cite web |date=2019-12-22 |title=Board, committees and councils |url=https://afsp.org/boards-committees-and-councils/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=American Foundation for Suicide Prevention |language=en}} In 2021, he was named the Editor-in-Chief of Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience (CABN).{{Cite web |title=McLean News {{!}} Diego Pizzagalli, PhD, Named Editor of Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience |url=https://www.mcleanhospital.org/news/diego-pizzagalli-phd-named-editor-cognitive-affective-behavioral-neuroscience |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.mcleanhospital.org}} He joined Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) in 2013 and joined the Board in 2024.{{Cite web |title=Diego Pizzagalli, PhD - ADAA Board {{!}} Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA |url=https://adaa.org/about-adaa/diego-pizzagalli |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=adaa.org}}

In January 2025, Pizzagalli joined the University of California, Irvine, serving as the Founding Director of the Noel Drury, M.D. Institute for Translational Depression Discoveries. Spanning the School of Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, and the School of Engineering, the Institute will lead the way in bench-to-bedside research, focusing on improved treatment and prevention strategies.{{Cite web |title=Diego A. Pizzagalli Named Founding Director of UC Irvine Depression Research Institute {{!}} Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine |url=https://engineering.uci.edu/news/2023/11/diego-pizzagalli-named-founding-director-uc-irvine-depression-research-institute |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=engineering.uci.edu |language=en}}

Pizzagalli's research is focused on three critical endophenotypes associated with depression: anhedonia, increased stress sensitivity, and executive function deficits. His studies use a wide range of methods, including behavioral, electrophysiological and neuroimaging approaches, as well as preclinical models. His latest research has uncovered clinical, behavioral, and neural markers that could assist in the selection of antidepressant treatments prior to the onset of the intervention, paving the way for prevention and personalized treatment.{{Cite journal |last1=Ang |first1=Yuen-Siang |last2=Kaiser |first2=Roselinde |last3=Deckersbach |first3=Thilo |last4=Almeida |first4=Jorge |last5=Phillips |first5=Mary L. |last6=Chase |first6=Henry W. |last7=Webb |first7=Christian A. |last8=Parsey |first8=Ramin |last9=Fava |first9=Maurizio |last10=McGrath |first10=Patrick |last11=Weissman |first11=Myrna |last12=Adams |first12=Phil |last13=Deldin |first13=Patricia |last14=Oquendo |first14=Maria A. |last15=McInnis |first15=Melvin G. |date=2020-10-15 |title=Pretreatment Reward Sensitivity and Frontostriatal Resting-State Functional Connectivity Are Associated With Response to Bupropion After Sertraline Nonresponse |journal=Biological Psychiatry |volume=88 |issue=8 |pages=657–667 |doi=10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.04.009 |issn=1873-2402 |pmc=7529779 |pmid=32507389}}

Investigating Neurobiology of Anhedonia

Pizzagalli developed a laboratory-based measure of anhedonia – the Probabilistic Reward Task (PRT){{Cite journal |last1=Pizzagalli |first1=Diego A. |last2=Jahn |first2=Allison L. |last3=O'Shea |first3=James P. |date=2005-02-15 |title=Toward an objective characterization of an anhedonic phenotype: a signal-detection approach |journal=Biological Psychiatry |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=319–327 |doi=10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.11.026 |issn=0006-3223 |pmc=2447922 |pmid=15705346}} – which has been used by hundreds of labs worldwide in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. More recently, he has co-developed versions of the PRT that are functionally identical for use in humans, non-human primates, rats and mice.{{Cite journal |last1=Kangas |first1=Brian D. |last2=Wooldridge |first2=Lisa M. |last3=Luc |first3=Oanh T. |last4=Bergman |first4=Jack |last5=Pizzagalli |first5=Diego A. |date=2020-08-13 |title=Empirical validation of a touchscreen probabilistic reward task in rats |journal=Translational Psychiatry |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=285 |doi=10.1038/s41398-020-00969-1 |issn=2158-3188 |pmc=7426406 |pmid=32792526}}{{Cite journal |last1=Wooldridge |first1=Lisa M. |last2=Bergman |first2=Jack |last3=Pizzagalli |first3=Diego A. |last4=Kangas |first4=Brian D. |date=2021-05-18 |title=Translational Assessments of Reward Responsiveness in the Marmoset |journal=The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology |volume=24 |issue=5 |pages=409–418 |doi=10.1093/ijnp/pyaa090 |issn=1469-5111 |pmc=8130205 |pmid=33280005}}{{Cite journal |last1=Kangas |first1=Brian D. |last2=Short |first2=Annabel K. |last3=Luc |first3=Oanh T. |last4=Stern |first4=Hal S. |last5=Baram |first5=Tallie Z. |last6=Pizzagalli |first6=Diego A. |date=February 2022 |title=A cross-species assay demonstrates that reward responsiveness is enduringly impacted by adverse, unpredictable early-life experiences |journal=Neuropsychopharmacology|volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=767–775 |doi=10.1038/s41386-021-01250-9 |issn=1740-634X |pmc=8682039 |pmid=34921225}} This development accelerates cross-species translation and evaluation of novel treatment targets.

Investigating Functional Neuroanatomy of Depression

Utilizing a combination of neuroimaging methods, Pizzagalli's research indicates that distinct brain activation patterns correlate with individual variances in treatment response and specific depression phenotypes. These findings hold significance in the identification of individuals at increased risk for depression and the advancement of more effective depression treatments.{{Cite journal |last1=Whitton |first1=Alexis E. |last2=Webb |first2=Christian A. |last3=Dillon |first3=Daniel G. |last4=Kayser |first4=Jürgen |last5=Rutherford |first5=Ashleigh |last6=Goer |first6=Franziska |last7=Fava |first7=Maurizio |last8=McGrath |first8=Patrick |last9=Weissman |first9=Myrna |last10=Parsey |first10=Ramin |last11=Adams |first11=Phil |last12=Trombello |first12=Joseph M. |last13=Cooper |first13=Crystal |last14=Deldin |first14=Patricia |last15=Oquendo |first15=Maria A. |date=2019-05-15 |title=Pretreatment Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex Connectivity With Salience Network Predicts Depression Recovery: Findings From the EMBARC Randomized Clinical Trial |journal=Biological Psychiatry |volume=85 |issue=10 |pages=872–880 |doi=10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.12.007 |issn=1873-2402 |pmc=6499696 |pmid=30718038}}{{Cite journal |last1=Pizzagalli |first1=Diego A. |last2=Webb |first2=Christian A. |last3=Dillon |first3=Daniel G. |last4=Tenke |first4=Craig E. |last5=Kayser |first5=Jürgen |last6=Goer |first6=Franziska |last7=Fava |first7=Maurizio |last8=McGrath |first8=Patrick |last9=Weissman |first9=Myrna |last10=Parsey |first10=Ramin |last11=Adams |first11=Phil |last12=Trombello |first12=Joseph |last13=Cooper |first13=Crystal |last14=Deldin |first14=Patricia |last15=Oquendo |first15=Maria A. |date=2018-06-01 |title=Pretreatment Rostral Anterior Cingulate Cortex Theta Activity in Relation to Symptom Improvement in Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial |journal=JAMA Psychiatry |volume=75 |issue=6 |pages=547–554 |doi=10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0252 |issn=2168-6238 |pmc=6083825 |pmid=29641834}}

Investigating Executive Dysfunction in Depression and At-Risk Individuals

Pizzagalli's research reveals the association between the behavioral impairments in depression and an exaggerated, automatic neural response to errors, along with limited recruitment of brain regions responsible for cognitive control.{{Cite journal |last1=Holmes |first1=Avram J. |last2=Pizzagalli |first2=Diego A. |date=February 2008 |title=Spatiotemporal dynamics of error processing dysfunctions in major depressive disorder |journal=Archives of General Psychiatry |volume=65 |issue=2 |pages=179–188 |doi=10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2007.19 |issn=1538-3636 |pmc=2587280 |pmid=18250256}}{{Cite journal |last=Pizzagalli |first=Diego A. |date=January 2011 |title=Frontocingulate dysfunction in depression: toward biomarkers of treatment response |journal=Neuropsychopharmacology|volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=183–206 |doi=10.1038/npp.2010.166 |issn=1740-634X |pmc=3036952 |pmid=20861828}}{{Cite journal |last1=Pizzagalli |first1=Diego A. |last2=Roberts |first2=Angela C. |date=January 2022 |title=Prefrontal cortex and depression |journal=Neuropsychopharmacology|volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=225–246 |doi=10.1038/s41386-021-01101-7 |issn=1740-634X |pmc=8617037 |pmid=34341498}} His ongoing studies aim to evaluate the hypothesis that these dysfunctions might increase vulnerability to subsequent depressive episodes.{{Cite journal |last1=Whitton |first1=Alexis E. |last2=Van't Veer |first2=Ashlee |last3=Kakani |first3=Pragya |last4=Dillon |first4=Daniel G. |last5=Ironside |first5=Manon L. |last6=Haile |first6=Anja |last7=Crowley |first7=David J. |last8=Pizzagalli |first8=Diego A. |date=January 2017 |title=Acute stress impairs frontocingulate activation during error monitoring in remitted depression |journal=Psychoneuroendocrinology |volume=75 |pages=164–172 |doi=10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.10.007 |issn=1873-3360 |pmc=5135598 |pmid=27835807}}{{Cite journal |last1=Auerbach |first1=Randy P. |last2=Pagliaccio |first2=David |last3=Hubbard |first3=Nicholas A. |last4=Frosch |first4=Isabelle |last5=Kremens |first5=Rebecca |last6=Cosby |first6=Elizabeth |last7=Jones |first7=Robert |last8=Siless |first8=Viviana |last9=Lo |first9=Nicole |last10=Henin |first10=Aude |last11=Hofmann |first11=Stefan G. |last12=Gabrieli |first12=John D. E. |last13=Yendiki |first13=Anastasia |author-link13=Anastasia Yendiki |last14=Whitfield-Gabrieli |first14=Susan |last15=Pizzagalli |first15=Diego A. |date=February 2022 |title=Reward-Related Neural Circuitry in Depressed and Anxious Adolescents: A Human Connectome Project |journal=Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |volume=61 |issue=2 |pages=308–320 |doi=10.1016/j.jaac.2021.04.014 |issn=1527-5418 |pmc=8643367 |pmid=33965516}}{{Cite journal |last1=Kaiser |first1=Roselinde H. |last2=Peterson |first2=Elena |last3=Kang |first3=Min Su |last4=Van Der Feen |first4=Julie |last5=Aguirre |first5=Blaise |last6=Clegg |first6=Rachel |last7=Goer |first7=Franziska |last8=Esposito |first8=Erika C. |last9=Auerbach |first9=Randy P. |last10=Pizzagalli |first10=Diego A. |date=August 2019 |title=Frontoinsular Network Markers of Current and Future Adolescent Mood Health |journal=Biological Psychiatry. Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging |volume=4 |issue=8 |pages=715–725 |doi=10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.03.014 |issn=2451-9030 |pmc=6688954 |pmid=31155512}}

Establishing Predictors of Treatment Response in Depression

Pizzagalli's research demonstrates that pretreatment resting EEG activity in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex predicted therapeutic improvement 4–6 months later in individuals with depression. Currently, his team is investigating innovative behavioral and EEG markers to assess treatment response, potentially improving treatment selection and reducing the personal and socioeconomic challenges associated with the current trial-and-error approach{{Cite journal |last1=Pizzagalli |first1=D. |last2=Pascual-Marqui |first2=R. D. |last3=Nitschke |first3=J. B. |last4=Oakes |first4=T. R. |last5=Larson |first5=C. L. |last6=Abercrombie |first6=H. C. |last7=Schaefer |first7=S. M. |last8=Koger |first8=J. V. |last9=Benca |first9=R. M. |last10=Davidson |first10=R. J. |date=March 2001 |title=Anterior cingulate activity as a predictor of degree of treatment response in major depression: evidence from brain electrical tomography analysis |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11229981/ |journal=The American Journal of Psychiatry |volume=158 |issue=3 |pages=405–415 |doi=10.1176/appi.ajp.158.3.405 |issn=0002-953X |pmid=11229981}}{{Cite journal |last1=Webb |first1=Christian A. |last2=Trivedi |first2=Madhukar H. |last3=Cohen |first3=Zachary D. |last4=Dillon |first4=Daniel G. |last5=Fournier |first5=Jay C. |last6=Goer |first6=Franziska |last7=Fava |first7=Maurizio |last8=McGrath |first8=Patrick J. |last9=Weissman |first9=Myrna |last10=Parsey |first10=Ramin |last11=Adams |first11=Phil |last12=Trombello |first12=Joseph M. |last13=Cooper |first13=Crystal |last14=Deldin |first14=Patricia |last15=Oquendo |first15=Maria A. |date=May 2019 |title=Personalized prediction of antidepressant v. placebo response: evidence from the EMBARC study |journal=Psychological Medicine |volume=49 |issue=7 |pages=1118–1127 |doi=10.1017/S0033291718001708 |issn=1469-8978 |pmc=6314923 |pmid=29962359}}

• Christensen Fellowships, St Catherine's College, Oxford University, 2024
• Visiting Professor, Oxford University, 2023
• Gerald L. Klerman Senior Investigator Award, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), 2023{{Cite web |title=2023-2024 Klerman Award Winners |url=https://www.dbsalliance.org/about/gerald-l-klerman-awards/klerman-award-nominee-bios/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance |language=en-US}}
• Board Member, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 2024
• Neuropsychopharmacology Editor's Award for a Review (NEAR), American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), 2023{{Cite web |title=Publications |url=https://acnp.org/about-us/publications/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=ACNP |language=en-US}}
• MERIT awards, the National Institute of Mental Health, 2016, 2022{{Cite journal |last=Pizzagalli |first=Diego |title=Neuroimaging Studies of Reward Processing in Depression |url=https://grantome.com/grant/NIH/R37-MH068376-15 |language=en}}
• Editor-In-Chief, Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, since 2021
• Anna-Monika-Prize for Research in the Neurobiology and Treatment of Depressive Disorders, 2019{{Cite web |title=Prize Award Winners |url=https://anna-monika-stiftung.de/award-winners/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=ANNA-MONIKA-FOUNDATION |language=de-DE}}
• Highly Cited Researcher, Web of Science, since 2019{{Cite web |title=Web of Science |url=https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/rid/Z-1595-2019 |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.webofscience.com}}
• NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 2017{{Cite web |date=2017-12-12 |title=Meet Our 2017 Distinguished Investigators |url=https://bbrfoundation.org/blog/meet-our-2017-distinguished-investigators |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=Meet Our 2017 Distinguished Investigators {{!}} Brain & Behavior Research Foundation |language=en}}
• Scientific Advisor, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2017{{Cite web |title=AFSP 2022 Annual Report |url=https://annual2022.afsp.org/ |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=annual2022.afsp.org}}
• Joel Elkes Research Award, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), 2017{{Cite web |title=McLean News {{!}} Pizzagalli Receives 2017 Joel Elkes Research Award |url=https://www.mcleanhospital.org/news/pizzagalli-receives-2017-joel-elkes-research-award |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=www.mcleanhospital.org}}
• Stuart T. Hauser, M.D. PhD. Mentorship Award in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 2017{{Cite web |title=Stuart T. Hauser, MD, PhD, Mentorship Award in Psychiatry |url=https://psych.hms.harvard.edu/hauser-mentorship-award |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=psych.hms.harvard.edu |language=en}}
• Anne M. Cataldo Excellence in Mentoring Award, McLean Hospital, 2015{{Cite web |title=McLean Research Community Annual Meeting {{!}} Mass General Brigham RISC |url=https://rc.partners.org/news-events/events/mclean-research-community-annual-meeting |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=rc.partners.org}}
• Early Career Award, the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society, 2007
• Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychophysiology, the Society for Psychophysiological Research, 2006{{Cite web |title=Early Career Award Addresses - Society for Psychophysiological Research |url=https://sprweb.org/page/ECA_Papers |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=sprweb.org |language=en}}

Pizzagalli was born and raised in Mendrisio, Switzerland. He is married to a clinical psychologist and has two adult children.

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