My research interests are primarily focused on investigating brain biology that underlies eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. We are especially interested in understanding what biological circuits in the brain drive for instance food restriction, binge eating, or anxiety associated with body image. Ultimately, we hope that we identify medication that will make treatment easier, faster and more successful.
Publications
King JA, Frank GKW, Thompson PM, Ehrlich S. Structural Neuroimaging of Anorexia Nervosa: Future Directions in the Quest for Mechanisms Underlying Dynamic Alterations. Biol Psychiatry. 2018 Feb 1;83(3):224-234. PubMed PMID: 28967386
Weissman RS, Frank GKW, Klump KL, Thomas JJ, Wade T, Waller G. The current status of cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders: Marking the 51st Annual Convention of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Int J Eat Disord. 2017 Dec;50(12):1444-1446. PubMed PMID: 29210517
King JA, Frank GKW, Thompson PM, Ehrlich S. Structural Neuroimaging of Anorexia Nervosa: Future Directions in the Quest for Mechanisms Underlying Dynamic Alterations. Biol Psychiatry. 2017 Aug 24. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 28967386
Weissman RS, Frank GKW, Klump KL, Thomas JJ, Wade T, Waller G. Ross D. Crosby: Scholar, teacher, mentor, and friend. Introducing a virtual issue honoring the contributions of Ross D. Crosby to the field of eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord. 2017 Oct;50(10):1121-1123. PubMed PMID: 28902416
Frank GK, Shott ME, Hagman JO, Schiel MA, DeGuzman MC, Rossi B. The partial dopamine D2 receptor agonist aripiprazole is associated with weight gain in adolescent anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. 2017 Apr;50(4):447-450. PubMed PMID: 28334444
DeGuzman M, Shott ME, Yang TT, Riederer J, Frank GKW. Association of Elevated Reward Prediction Error Response With Weight Gain in Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa. Am J Psychiatry. 2017 Jun 1;174(6):557-565. PubMed PMID: 28231717
Shott ME, Pryor TL, Yang TT, Frank GK. Greater Insula White Matter Fiber Connectivity in Women Recovered from Anorexia Nervosa. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016 Jan;41(2):498-507. PubMed PMID: 26076832
Frank GK. Brain Reward Processing in Eating Disorders: Opportunities to Build Upon?. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2016 Nov;55(11):929-930. PubMed PMID: 27806859
Frank GK, Shott ME, Riederer J, Pryor TL. Altered structural and effective connectivity in anorexia and bulimia nervosa in circuits that regulate energy and reward homeostasis. Transl Psychiatry. 2016 Nov 1;6(11):e932. PubMed PMID: 27801897
Riederer JW, Shott ME, Deguzman M, Pryor TL, Frank GK. Understanding Neuronal Architecture in Obesity through Analysis of White Matter Connection Strength. Front Hum Neurosci. 2016 Jun 6;10:271. PubMed PMID: 27375463
Sacchet MD, Ho TC, Connolly CG, Tymofiyeva O, Lewinn KZ, Han LK, Blom EH, Tapert SF, Max JE, Frank GK, Paulus MP, Simmons AN, Gotlib IH, Yang TT. Large-Scale Hypoconnectivity Between Resting-State Functional Networks in Unmedicated Adolescent Major Depressive Disorder. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016 Nov;41(12):2951-2960. PubMed PMID: 27238621
Frank GK, Shott ME. The Role of Psychotropic Medications in the Management of Anorexia Nervosa: Rationale, Evidence and Future Prospects. CNS Drugs. 2016 May;30(5):419-42. PubMed PMID: 27106297
Weissman RS, Becker AE, Bulik CM, Frank GK, Klump KL, Steiger H, Strober M, Thomas J, Waller G, Walsh BT. Speaking of That: Terms to Avoid or Reconsider in the Eating Disorders Field. Int J Eat Disord. 2016 Apr;49(4):349-53. PubMed PMID: 27084795
Frank GK, Shott ME, Keffler C, Cornier MA. Extremes of eating are associated with reduced neural taste discrimination. Int J Eat Disord. 2016 Jun;49(6):603-12. PubMed PMID: 27083785
Frank GK. The Perfect Storm - A Bio-Psycho-Social Risk Model for Developing and Maintaining Eating Disorders. Front Behav Neurosci. 2016 Mar 10;10:44. PubMed PMID: 27014006
Frank GK. Preface for International Journal of Eating Disorders special issue medical complications in eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord. 2016 Mar;49(3):215. PubMed PMID: 26876572
Forney KJ, Buchman-Schmitt JM, Keel PK, Frank GK. The medical complications associated with purging. Int J Eat Disord. 2016 Mar;49(3):249-59. PubMed PMID: 26876429
Frank GK, Collier S, Shott ME, O'Reilly RC. Prediction error and somatosensory insula activation in women recovered from anorexia nervosa. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2016 Aug;41(5):304-11. PubMed PMID: 26836623
Frank GK. Aripiprazole, a partial dopamine agonist to improve adolescent anorexia nervosa-A case series. Int J Eat Disord. 2016 May;49(5):529-533. PubMed PMID: 26593328
Shott ME, Pryor TL, Yang TT, Frank GK. Greater Insula White Matter Fiber Connectivity in Women Recovered from Anorexia Nervosa. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016 Jan;41(2):498-507. PubMed PMID: 26076832
Wagner A, Simmons AN, Oberndorfer TA, Frank GK, McCurdy-McKinnon D, Fudge JL, Yang TT, Paulus MP, Kaye WH. Altered sensitization patterns to sweet food stimuli in patients recovered from anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Psychiatry Res. 2015 Dec 30;234(3):305-13. PubMed PMID: 26596520
Frank GK. Aripiprazole, a partial dopamine agonist to improve adolescent anorexia nervosa-A case series. Int J Eat Disord. 2015 Nov 23. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 26593328
Hagman J, Gardner RM, Brown DL, Gralla J, Fier JM, Frank GK. Body size overestimation and its association with body mass index, body dissatisfaction, and drive for thinness in anorexia nervosa. Eat Weight Disord. 2015 Dec;20(4):449-55. PubMed PMID: 25929983
Frank GK. Advances from neuroimaging studies in eating disorders. CNS Spectr. 2015 Aug;20(4):391-400. PubMed PMID: 25902917
Frank GK. What causes eating disorders, and what do they cause?. Biol Psychiatry. 2015 Apr 1;77(7):602-3. PubMed PMID: 25766685
Frank GK. Recent advances in neuroimaging to model eating disorder neurobiology. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2015 Apr;17(4):559. PubMed PMID: 25749747
Cornier MA, Shott ME, Thomas EA, Bechtell JL, Bessesen DH, Tregellas JR, Frank GK. The effects of energy balance, obesity-proneness and sex on the neuronal response to sweet taste. Behav Brain Res. 2015 Feb 1;278:446-52. PubMed PMID: 25447301
Shott ME, Cornier MA, Mittal VA, Pryor TL, Orr JM, Brown MS, Frank GK. Orbitofrontal cortex volume and brain reward response in obesity. Int J Obes (Lond). 2015 Feb;39(2):214-21. PubMed PMID: 25027223
Cornier MA, Shott ME, Thomas EA, Bechtell JL, Bessesen DH, Tregellas JR, Frank GK. The effects of energy balance, obesity-proneness and sex on the neuronal response to sweet taste. Behav Brain Res. 2014 Oct 30;278C:446-452. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25447301
Frank GK. Music to my brain: could music training be used to improve adolescent brain development?. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014 Nov;53(11):1147-9. PubMed PMID: 25440303
Shott ME, Cornier MA, Mittal VA, Pryor TL, Orr JM, Brown MS, Frank GK. Orbitofrontal cortex volume and brain reward response in obesity. Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Jul 16. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 25027223
Filoteo JV, Paul EJ, Ashby FG, Frank GK, Helie S, Rockwell R, Bischoff-Grethe A, Wierenga C, Kaye WH. Simulating category learning and set shifting deficits in patients weight-restored from anorexia nervosa. Neuropsychology. 2014 Sep;28(5):741-51. PubMed PMID: 24799291
McFadden KL, Tregellas JR, Shott ME, Frank GK. Reduced salience and default mode network activity in women with anorexia nervosa. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2014 May;39(3):178-88. PubMed PMID: 24280181
Frank GK. Music to my brain: could music training be used to improve adolescent brain development?. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014 Nov;53(11):1147-9. PubMed PMID: 25440303
Filoteo JV, Paul EJ, Ashby FG, Frank GK, Helie S, Rockwell R, Bischoff-Grethe A, Wierenga C, Kaye WH. Simulating category learning and set shifting deficits in patients weight-restored from anorexia nervosa. Neuropsychology. 2014 Sep;28(5):741-51. PubMed PMID: 24799291
Frank GK. Could dopamine agonists aid in drug development for anorexia nervosa?. Front Nutr. 2014;1:19. PubMed PMID: 25988121
McFadden KL, Tregellas JR, Shott ME, Frank GK. Reduced salience and default mode network activity in women with anorexia nervosa. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2014 May;39(3):178-88. PubMed PMID: 24280181
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Board Certification (2012)
Conditions & Treatments
Child and Teen Health
Mental Health and Behavior
Mental Health and Behavior - Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Mental Health and Behavior - Eating Disorders
Mental Health and Behavior - Anxiety
Clinical Interests
Eating Disorders
Care Philosophy
I am board certified in adult as well as child and adolescent psychiatry. In addition, I received extensive formal training in psychotherapy (CBT, family therapy, dynamic therapy, Feldenkrais, hypnotherapy). This combination of clinical training together with my training and experience in brain research gives me a fairly unique perspective on psychiatric disorders and treatment, taking into account all aspects of past and current experience together with potential biological underpinnings, as well as foster a neuroscience based approach to treatment.
My utmost goal in this work is to improve the quality of life of the individual as well as the family system that a patient is embedded in. This starts with an empathic approach, careful assessment, thoughtful recommendation of treatment options and providing the family with the experience that their feedback is always welcome and that treatment is happening in a collaborative manner and taking all aspects of importance including culture specific experiences and attitudes into account. My extensive training in psychotherapy has always given me a special background to connect with and treat my patients in that way. One of my psychotherapy teachers once said that every patient has the right to be convinced that the treatment the clinician offers is appropriate and likely to be of help. I have always worked with families in that spirit and I believe this makes it easier for families to engage in the treatment process. A special emphasis of mine is always that the child or adolescent is as much as possible involved in the decision-making process and takes ownership in the process of treatment.
Personal Interests
Eating Disorders
Volunteer Activities
Service in the academic field as manuscript editor or reviewer and service in various organizations such as the Academy for Eating Disorders as committee chair, board of directors member and treasurer.
Public Speaking Yes
I have given multiple invited lectures, plenary session and grand rounds primarily on eating disorders.
General Information
Medical Schools:
MD, Ludwig Maximillian University of Munich - Munich, Germany
(1994)
Internships:
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
(2001)
Residency Programs:
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Psychiatry (2004)
Fellowships:
University of California (San Diego) Program, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
(2007)