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Pliszka, Steven R M.D

School of Medicine
Psychiatry

pliszka@uthscsa.edu

Steven R. Pliszka, M.D. has been a faculty member at UTHSCSA since 1986, joining the Department of Psychiatry after completing his general and child adolescent psychiatry residencies at UTHSCSA. Throughout his career he has been involved in a wide range of administrative, research, clinical and educational activities. As Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry since 1995 he has built up a diverse faculty with interests in both biological and psychosocial interventions.

His research has focused on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related disorders. Early in his career he researched the effect of anxiety on ADHD and studied the role of neurotransmitters in both disorders. He has been involved with clinical trials of the most medications used for ADHD. He currently uses functional magnetic imaging to try to understand the mechanisms of action of medications for ADHD.

Dr. Pliszka teaches the psychopharmacology of child and adolescent disorders to residents and medical students, as well as neuroscience. He is the author of Neuroscience for the Mental Health Clinician and Treating ADHD and Comorbid Disorders (Guilford Press). He has been very active in the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, authoring the academys practice parameters for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. From 2008-2012, he directed Services Uniting Pediatrics and Psychiatry Outreaching to Texas (SUPPORT) a major state-funded initiative to integrate mental health services into pediatric primary care.

Dr. Pliszka has an active clinical practice, caring for many children and adolescents with ADHD and other psychiatric disorders; he also serves as the attending psychiatrist for two residential facilities for children with severe behavioral and emotional disorders.

Appointments Education Expertise Teaching Publications Grants

9/2003 - Present

Professor

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Psychiatry, San Antonio, TX

Journal Article

Bledsoe JC, Semrud-Clikeman M, Pliszka SR. Neuroanatomical and neuropsychological correlates of the cerebellum in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-combined type J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2011 Jun;50(6):593-601.

Arnsten AF, Pliszka SR. Catecholamine influences on prefrontal cortical function: Relevance to treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and related disorders Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2011 Feb;.

Caetano SC, Olvera RL, Hatch JP, Sanches M, Chen HH, Nicoletti M, Stanley JA, Fonseca M, Hunter K, Lafer B, Pliszka SR, Soares JC. Lower N-acetyl-aspartate levels in prefrontal cortices in pediatric bipolar disorder: a H magnetic resonance spectroscopy study J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2011 Jan;50(1):85-94.

Olvera RL, Caetano SC, Stanley JA, Chen HH, Nicoletti M, Hatch JP, Fonseca M, Pliszka SR, Soares JC. Reduced medial prefrontal N-Acetyl-Aspartate levels in pediatric major depressive disorder: A multi-voxel in vivo(1)H spectroscopy study Psychiatry Res 2010 Nov;184(2):71-76.

Schnoebelen S, Semrud-Clikeman M, Pliszka SR. Corpus callosum anatomy in chronically treated and stimulant nave ADHD J Atten Disord 2010 Nov;14(3):256-266.

Bledsoe JC, Semrud-Clikeman M, Pliszka SR. Response inhibition and academic abilities in typically developing children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder-combined subtype Arch Clin Neuropsychol 2010 Nov;25(7):671-679.

Schnoebelen S, Semrud-Clikeman M, Pliszka SR. Corpus Callosum Anatomy in Chronically Treated and Stimulant Naive ADHD J Atten Disord 2010 May;.

Liotti M, Pliszka SR, Higgins K, Perez R, Semrud-Clikeman M. Evidence for specificity of ERP abnormalities during response inhibition in ADHD children: a comparison with reading disorder children without ADHD Brain Cogn 2010 Mar;72(2):228-237.

Blader JC, Schooler NR, Jensen PS, Pliszka SR, Kafantaris V. Adjunctive divalproex versus placebo for children with ADHD and aggression refractory to stimulant monotherapy Am J Psychiatry 2009 Dec;166(12):1392-1401.

Dopheide JA, Pliszka SR. Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder: an update Pharmacotherapy 2009 Jun;29(6):656-679.

Bledsoe J, Semrud-Clikeman M, Pliszka SR. A magnetic resonance imaging study of the cerebellar vermis in chronically treated and treatment-nave children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder combined type Biol Psychiatry 2009 Apr;65(7):620-624.

Olvera RL, Fonseca M, Caetano SC, Hatch JP, Hunter K, Nicoletti M, Pliszka SR, Cloninger CR, Soares JC. Assessment of personality dimensions in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder using the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2009 Feb;19(1):13-21.

Semrud-Clikeman M, Pliszka S, Liotti M, Pliszka SR. Executive functioning in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: combined type with and without a stimulant medication history Neuropsychology 2008 May;22(3):329-340.

Biederman J, Pliszka SR. Modafinil improves symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder across subtypes in children and adolescents J Pediatr 2008 Mar;152(3):394-399.

Caetano SC, Fonseca M, Hatch JP, Olvera RL, Nicoletti M, Hunter K, Lafer B, Pliszka SR, Soares JC. Medial temporal lobe abnormalities in pediatric unipolar depression Neurosci Lett 2007 Nov;427(3):142-147.

Liotti M, Pliszka SR, Perez R 3rd, Luus B, Glahn DC, Semrud-Clikeman M. Electrophysiological correlates of response inhibition in children and adolescents with ADHD: influence of gender, age, and previous treatment history Psychophysiology 2007 Nov;44(6):936-948.

Olvera RL, Caetano SC, Fonseca M, Nicoletti M, Stanley JA, Chen HH, Hatch JP, Hunter K, Pliszka SR, Soares JC. Low levels of N-acetyl aspartate in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of pediatric bipolar patients J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2007 Aug;17(4):461-474.

Liotti M, Pliszka SR, Perez R, Luus B, Glahn D, Semrud-Clikeman M. Electrophysiological correlates of response inhibition in children and adolescents with ADHD: Influence of gender, age, and previous treatment history Psychophysiology 2007 Jul;.

Pliszka S, Pliszka SR. Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2007 Jul;46(7):894-921.

Book/Monograph

Pliszka S. ADHD and Comorbid Disorders: Psychosocial and Psychopharmacological Interventions New York: Guilford Press; 2009.

Book Chapter

Pliszka SR. Psychostimulants. In: Rosenberg DR, Gershon S. Pharmacotherapy of Child and Adolescent Disorders. West Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell; 2012. p. 65-104.

Pliszka SR. Anxiety Disorders. In: Goldstein SR, Reynolds CR. Handbook of Neurodevelopmental and Genetic Disorders in Children. New York: Guilford Press; 2011. p. 188-208.

Wagner KD, Pliszka SR. Treatment of child and adolescent disorders. In: Schatzberg AF, Nemeroff CB. Textbook of Psychopharmacology. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press; 2009. p. 1309-1372.

Pliszka SR, Glahn DC. Neuroimaging of treatment effects in developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. In: Rumsey RM, Ernst E. Neuroimaging in Developmental Clinical Neuroscience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2009. p. 344-364.

Abstract

Olvera RL, Pliszka SR, Nicoletti M, Stanley JA, Soares JC. Decreased N-Acetyl-Aspartate in the Hippocampus of Juvenile Offenders with Bipolar Disorder: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; 2008 Oct. (Scientific Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry).

Hahn T, Frazier TW, Hooper S, Hatch JP, Kopecek, M, Olvera RL, Zunta-Soares G, Pliszka SR, Youngstrom EA, Soares JC. An Investigation of Pediatric Bipolar Patients with and without ADHD Using Baddeley''s Multi-Component Model of Working Memory: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; 2008 Oct. (Scientific Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry).

Joseph, MF, Youngstrom, EA, Caetano, S, Hatch JP, Olvera RL, Walss-Bass C, Nicoletti, M, Pliszka SR, Escamilla MA, Soares, JC. Possible Interaction Among BDNF Genotype, Family Environment, and Brain N-Acetyl-Aspartate Levels in Pediatric Bipolar Disorder: American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; 2008 Oct. (Scientific Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry).

Olvera RL, Glahn DC, Pliszka SR, ODonnell L, Bearden, CE, Dierske, NA, Soares JC. Decreased Prefrontal Gray Matter Density in Bipolar Patients with Comorbid Conduct Disorder; 2008 Apr. (Biological Psychiatry; vol. 63, no. 7s).

Kopecek, M, Quinones MP, Olvera RL, Hatch JP, Pliszka SR, Soares JC. A Critical Role of Viral Infections in the Development of Symptoms and Suicide Behavior in Bipolar Disorder; 2008 Apr. (Biological Psychiatry; vol. 63, no. 7s).

Tinney, Q., Hatch JP, Olvera RL, Zunta-Soares, G., Frazier, T., Youngstrom, E., Pliszka SR, Soares, J.C. Clinical Characteristics across Pesiatric Bipolar Disorder Subtypes; 2008 Apr. (Biological Psychiatry; vol. 63, no. 7s).

Caetano, S.C., Olvera RL, Stanley, J., Hatch JP, Nicoletti, M, Pliszka SR, Soares, J.C. Abnormal Metabolism in the Cingulate of Child and Adolescent Offspring of Bipolar Patients: An in vivo H-MRS Study; 2008 Apr. (Biological Psychiatry; vol. 63, no. 7s).

Quinones MP, Ahmadi Sara, Ahuja SS, Torres V, Nery FG, Olvera RL, Hatch JP, Pliszka SR, Soares JC. Differential involvement of inflammatory markers in adult and pediatric bipolar disorder; 2007 Dec. (Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology; vol. 17, no. 6).

Not Specified

Pliszka SR. Tracking the development of bipolar disorder in childhood Am J Psychiatry 2012 Jun;169(6):557-559.

Blader JC, Pliszka SR, Jensen PS, Schooler NR, Kafantaris V. Stimulant-responsive and stimulant-refractory aggressive behavior among children with ADHD Pediatrics 2010 Oct;126(4):796-806.

Pliszka SR. The MTA at 8 J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2009 Nov;48(11):1122-1124.

Federal
Funding Agency	NIMH
Title	Neuroimaging of Diet and Medication in the Treatment of ADHD
Status	Active
Period	1/2013 - 12/2014
Role	Principal Investigator
Grant Detail
Funding Agency	National Institute of Mental Health
Title	Stepped Pharmacotherapy for Aggressive Youth with ADHD
Status	Active
Period	5/2008 - 4/2014
Role	Co-Investigator
Grant Detail	In this 3-site trial (Overall PI: Blader), children with ADHD and aggression are first treated with stimulants and behavioral therapy. Non-responders to this initial treatment are randomized to receive risperidone, valproate or placebo for a 6-week trial. Our main hypothesis is that the two active drug conditions will be superior to placebo in reducing aggressive behaviors.
Private
Funding Agency	Friends for Psychiatric Research
Title	Development of a hand held device for reliably reporting psychiatric symptoms in mentally retarded patients
Status	Active
Period	7/2004 - Present
Role	Principal Investigator
Grant Detail
Funding Agency	Meadows Foundation
Title	Semp Russ Research Professorship in Child Psychiatry
Status	Active
Period	9/2000 - Present
Role	Principal Investigator
Grant Detail	Funds pilot research projects and supports ongoing child psychiatry research at UTHSCSA.
Funding Agency	Ortho-McNeil
Title	Functional Neuroimaging of Acute Concerta Treatment of ADHD: Differences Across Development
Status	Active
Period	9/2009 - 3/2011
Role	Principal Investigator
Grant Detail
Funding Agency	Shrie, Inc
Title	Electrophysiological Effects of Guanfacine Extended-Release (GXR) on Inhibitory Control in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Status	Active
Period	1/2010 - 2/2011
Role	Co-Investigator
Grant Detail	Assess brain funcition in children with ADHD using Event Related Potentials
Funding Agency	Baptist Health Foundation
Title	Early Interventions for Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia in at Risk Youth
Status	Active
Period	9/2008 - 8/2010
Role	Consultant
Grant Detail	This award (PI: Escamilla) will pilot early identification and treatment of bipolar disorders and schizophrenia in youth at high familial risk within an underserved population.
State
Funding Agency	Texas Department of State Health Services
Title	Services Uniting Pediatrics and Psychiatry Outreaching to Texas
Status	Active
Period	1/2008 - 3/2012
Role	Principal Investigator
Grant Detail	Lack of identification and treatment of childhood and adolescence behavioral and emotional problems is a major problem in pediatric primary care, particularly for low income children served by the Medicaid program. A shortage of child and adolescent mental health professionals, difficulties in getting reimbursement for mental health services in primary care and resistance from families to seek mental health care all contribute to these problems. Services Uniting Pediatrics and Psychiatry Outreaching to Texas will seek to address this lack of mental health services by placing Licensed Practitioners of the Health Arts (LPHA) in pediatric practices to carry out mental health assessments and interventions. Child and adolescent psychiatrists will consult both with the LPHA and the pediatrician to treat the child or adolescent in an integrated fashion.

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Year	Degree	Discipline	Institution
1986	Residency	Child & Adolescent Psychiatry	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio San Antonio , TX
1986	Residency	General Psychiatry	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio San Antonio , TX
1981	MD	Medicine	University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio San Antonio , TX
1977	BA	Psychology	University of Texas at Austin Austin , TX

Date	Description	Institution	# Students
7/2003 - Present	Individual Instruction	UTHSCSA/Meadowland Residential Treatment Center

7/1995 - Present	Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology		3 students

6/1995 - Present	Child & Adolescent Psychiatry	The University of Texas Health Science Center
Supervise and coordinate MS IVs on Child Psychiatry Selective
9/1990 - Present	Psychopathology	The University of Texas Health Science Center	200 students
Lecture of Child and Adolescent Psychopathology to MS IIs
7/1989 - Present	Neurobiology and Advanced Psychopharmacology		3 students
Teach neurobiology relevant to psychiatric disorders to child and adolescent psychiatry residents
7/1986 - Present	Child and Adolescent Psyhiatric Disorders		6 students
Discuss the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, tic disorders, learning disabilities and brain injury related to psychiatric disorders to child & adolescent psychiatry residents
7/1986 - Present	Psychiatry Clerkship	The University of Texas Health Science Center	200 students
Lecture to third year psychiatry clerks on psychiatric interview of the child and adolescent
7/1986 - Present	Child & General Psychiatry Resident Supervision	Child Guidance Center at San Antonio	4 students
Supervise 2 General Psychiatry PG III residents and one Child and Adolescent Psychiatry resident one half day a week in a child psychiatry outpatient mental health setting.

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Calendar

Faculty

Pliszka, Steven R M.D

1. Neuroimaging of ADHD

2. Pediatric Psychopharmacology

4. Author of clinical textbooks

Journal Article

Book/Monograph

Book Chapter

Abstract

Not Specified

Federal

Private

State