Michael Davidson, MD
(Israel), Board of Directors

Michael Davidson, MD is a graduate of the State University of Milan Medical School (1976). He trained in cardiology and medicine (Tel Aviv Medical Center) and psychiatry (Metropolitan Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY) between 1976 and 1984, and was Unit Director, Division Director in Old Age Psychiatry at Mount Sinai, and Associate Clinical Director, Pilgrim Psychiatric Hospital (NY), before moving to the Psychiatric Services and Memory Clinic, Sheba Medical Center (Israel) in 1995. Currently he is Director of the department of psychiatry at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv, he is Board Certified in Psychiatry in Israel and the United States.

Dr. Davidson’s early work focused on the development of clinical methodologies to measure amine concentrations, which was believed to reflect central DA activity and hence could help understand psychosis. When developments in molecular biology brought the direct examination of the brain tissue to the fore in psychiatric research, he saw that a brain bank with ante-mortem phenomenological assessment was needed. He established what is now the largest brain bank with ante-mortem assessment, from which researchers around the world may obtain tissue and, possibly, correlate their biological findings with detailed clinical phenomenological data. He has also described schizophrenia in old age and demonstrated that, for the most part, psychotic symptoms do not burn out as previously believed, and cognitive impairment is the major determinant of these patients’ symptoms and level of functioning. As a corollary to this work, he investigated the process of institutionalization and de-institutionalization, and other social aspects of the illness.

His focus, in investigating dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, was to show that manipulation of the cholinergic activity might benefit AD patients. Aware that Ache is only one of several neurotransmitters deficient in AD, he took part in studies combining cholinergic and adrenergic augmenting drugs in AD, such as clonidine and yohimbine, as well as non-specific augmentation, such as aminopyridine. He also investigated if non-pharmacological strategies might help delay cognitive decline in the elderly and demonstrated that non-specific intellectual activity has a mild effect in this direction. Currently he is involved in investigating the role of cardiovascular risk factors in dementia. His latest publication in the field is Beeri M, Goldbourt U, Silverman JM, Noy S, Schmeidler J, Ravona R, Sverdlick A, Davidson M “Diabetes mellitus in midlife and the risk of dementia three decades later”, Neurology 63: 1902-1907 2004 

He is the recipient of many awards and grants, has published or edited more than 200 scientific articles and/or books. He co-chaired IPA’s Jerusalem Congress (1997) and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2000. Other professional affiliations include ACNP, ECNP, the World Psychiatric Association, Section on Biological Psychiatry. He is a reviewer for NIMH, and the Israeli Chief Scientist Committee and for journals such as AJP, Arch Gen Psychiatry to Alzheimer’s disease and Associated Disorders to name only a few. He has recently received the prestigious ECNP Neuropharmacology award. Over the last 2 years he has been the chair of the IPA publication committee.  He has served on IPA’s Board of Directors since 2000.

He can be contacted at davidso@netvision.net.il.

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