Andrew Leuchter, MD

Andrew Leuchter, MD

(he/him/his)
  • Psychiatry
Adult & Geriatric Psychiatry | 300 Medical Plaza, Suite 2200, Los Angeles, CA 90095

About

Andrew F. Leuchter, MD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and Associate Director of the Semel Institute. He also is Director of the Neuromodulation Division at the Semel Institute. Dr. Leuchter is a graduate of Stanford University and the Baylor College of Medicine who joined the UCLA faculty in 1986.

An expert on the treatment of mood disorders, Dr. Leuchter directs the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinical and Research Service. This is one of the largest academic TMS program in the country, which performs more than 6,000 treatments each year for patients with depression, pain, and other neuropsychiatric illness.  

Dr. Leuchter has authored over 200 scientific articles on topics including neuromodulation for the treatment of depression, EEG biomarkers to guide treatment of neuropsychiatric illness, and theories of antidepressant action. He teaches internationally on TMS and other neuromodulation methods, and received the 2019 Outstanding Research Mentor Award from the Semel Institute.

Languages

English

Education

Medical Board Certification

Psychiatry, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 1986

Fellowship

Psychiatry, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital, 1986

Residency

Psychiatry, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital, 1984

Internship

Psychiatry, UCLA School of Medicine, 1981

Degree

MD, Baylor College of Medicine (MD Only), 1980

Recognitions

  • Voted Super DoctorsSuper doctors, Southern California, 2024
  • Super Doctors® Southern California, 2023, 2024
  • Outstanding Research Mentor, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 2019 
  • Invited Plenary Speaker, 14th International Neuromodulation Society World Congress, Sydney, Australia. May 25, 2019
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Hospital Affiliations

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Research

Interests

Dr. Leuchter performs research to enhance TMS treatment effectiveness, as well as clinical trials to improve treatment of depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Dr. Leuchter’s research aims to develop novel treatment strategies and uses brain-imaging techniques, such as quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine brain function and predict which treatments are most likely to benefit individual patients. 

Publications

Link to Dr. Leuchter's PubMed publications

  1. Voigt J, Carpenter L, Leuchter AF. A systematic review of the clinical efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in non-treatment resistant patients with Major Depressive Disorder. BMC Psychiatry. 2019 Jan 8; 19(1):13. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-018-1989-z
  2. Hunter AM, Minzenberg MJ, Cook IA, Krantz DE, Levitt JG, Rotstein NM, Chawla SA, Leuchter AF. Concomitant medication use and clinical outcome of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. Brain and Behavior. 2019 Mar 6; 9(5): e01275. DOI:10.1002/brb3.1275
  3. McGough JJ, Sturm A, Cowen J, Tung K, Salgari GC, Leuchter AF, Cook IA, Sugar CA, Loo SK. Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled, Pilot Study of Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2019 Apr; 58(4):403-411.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2018.11.013. Epub 2019 Jan 28. PMID 30768393
  4. Corlier J, Wilson A, Hunter AM, Vince-Cruz N, Krantz D, Levitt J, Minzenberg MJ, N Ginder, Cook IA, Leuchter AF. Changes in Functional Connectivity Predict Outcome of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. Cerebral Cortex. 2019 Dec; 29(12): 4958–4967. DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz035
  5. Cook IA, Hunter A, Caudill M, Abrams M, Leuchter AF. Prospective testing of a neurophysiologic biomarker for treatment decisions in major depressive disorder: the PRISE-MD trial. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 2020; 124: 159-165. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.02.028
  6. Tadayonnejad R, Wilson AC, Corlier J, Lee JC, Ginder N, Levitt JG, Wilke SA, Marder KG, Krantz D, Bari A, Feusner JD, Pouratian N, Leuchter AF. Sequential multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder with comorbid major depression: A case series. Brain Stimulation. 2020 Nov-Dec. 1600-1602. DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2020.10.003
  7. Lee JC, Wilson AC, Corlier J, Tadayonnejad R, Marder KG, Pleman  CM, Krantz DE, Wilke SA, Levitt JG, Ginder ND, Leuchter AF. Strategies for augmentation of high-frequency left-sided repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of major depressive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2021 Feb. 132(2):643-649. DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2020.10.017
  8. Voigt J, Leuchter AF, Carpenter L. Theta Burst Stimulation for the Acute Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Translational Psychiatry. 2021 May. 11(1):330.  DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01441-4.
  9. Corlier J, Tadayonnejad R, Wilson AC, Lee JC, Marder KG, Ginder ND, Wilke SA, Levitt J, Krantz D, Leuchter AF. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of major depressive disorder and comorbid chronic pain: response rates and neurophysiologic biomarkers. Psychological Medicine. 2021 Jun. 1-10. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291721002178
  10. Leuchter AF, Wilson AC, Vince-Cruz N, Corlier J. Novel method for identification of individualized resonant frequencies for treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) using repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS): a proof-of-concept study. Brain Stimulation. 2021

Insurance

  • Aetna
  • Anthem Blue Cross
  • Blue Shield of California
  • Centivo
  • Cigna
  • First Health
  • Health Net of California
  • Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
  • L.A. Care
  • MultiPlan
  • UFCM Health System
  • Prime Health Services
  • Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
  • TRICARE
  • UnitedHealthcare

The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change. 
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Recognitions

Recent honors and awards:

  • Super Doctors® Southern California, 2023, 2024
  • Outstanding Research Mentor, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, 2019 
  • Invited Plenary Speaker, 14th International Neuromodulation Society World Congress, Sydney, Australia. May 25, 2019
  • Invited Plenary Speaker, Meeting of the Chinese Psychiatric Association. October 27, 2018