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Douglas G. Kondo

Douglas G. Kondo, MD

Languages spoken: English

Clinical Locations

Veterans Administration Medical Center

801-582-15652821
  • Douglas Kondo, MD, Associate Professor (Clinical), is an adult and child psychiatrist, and brain imaging researcher who works at the Salt Lake City VA Healthcare System (SLCVAHCS), in the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) [https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/]. His other appointments include the University's Huntsman Mental Health Institute, and the Diagnostic Neuroimaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry. His research areas include clinical trials of Veterans, children and adolescents, which incorporate pre-treatment and post-treatment brain scans that measure levels of brain chemicals that are thought to be important in psychiatric disorders and substance use. He also conducts epidemiological research on the effects of altitude on regional rates of suicide, psychiatric disorders and substance use.

    Dr. Kondo's translational neuroimaging clinical trials are currently focused on Suicidal Ideation (SI), Bipolar Disorder (BD), and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) -- and the brain chemistry changes that associated with these conditions. Depending on the study, participants are military Veterans or adolescents, and the neuroimaging method used is Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), performed on an FDA-approved clinical MRI scanner that does not use ionizing radiation. MRS is considered safe, which allows for scans to be performed pre-treatment (i.e. at "baseline"), and then repeated after several weeks of treatment (i.e. "post-treatment"). The goal of the pre-treatment scans is to identify which of up to 25 brain chemicals are altered at baseline, in research participants who have SI, BD or MDD. Then, following treatment with an active drug or with placebo, the goal of the follow-up, post-treatment scans is to measure brain chemistry changes, in patients who respond to treatment and recover from their SI, BD or MDD. The first hypothesis underlying this work is that problems with brain energy metabolism (a.k.a. "mitochondrial dysfunction") is a contributor to mood disorders and substance use in children, adolescents and adults. A second, and related hypothesis, is that targeting brain energy metabolism with natural treatments, is one potentially effective treatment strategy.

    The epidemiology studies Dr. Kondo works on utilize large, national mental illness and substance use data sets collected by research experts like the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These datasets are then combined with state and county altitude data from the Space Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), which was collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). When combined for analysis, the goal of this work is to study the association of increasing altitude with regional rates of suicide, psychiatric symptoms, substance use. The underlying hypothesis is that the phenomenon known as "hypobaric hypoxia" may be an unrecognized contributor to the burden of psychiatric illness and substance abuse. For example, ambient barometric (a.k.a. atmospheric) pressure decreases with altitude. This means that at the altitude of Salt Lake City or Denver, Colorado, the air pressure is approximately 15% lower than at Sea Level. This means that the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) is also reduced by 15%. Research has shown that this 15% reduction in FiO2 translates into a 20% reduction in the partial pressure of oxygen, in the arterial blood of human beings (PaO2). Preclinical studies have shown that this phenomenon, which is called "Hypobaric Hypoxia," alters levels of neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine, that have been implicated in psychiatric illness and addiction. Taken together, Dr. Kondo's human brain imaging studies, epidemiology work with CDC data, and the Diagnostic Neuroimaging Laboratory's animal models research, constitute a three-pronged multi-directional translational research program. This means that hypotheses that are generated based upon findings from any of the three scientific disciplines, can rapidly be tested in one or both of the other two.

    Prior to joining the MIRECC and Diagnostic Neuroimaging research teams, Dr. Kondo's previous positions at the School of Medicine included: inpatient child and adult psychiatry at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute (UNI), the Kidstar day treatment program for elementary school age children at UNI, the adolescent Teenscope day treatment program for middle and high school-aged students at UNI, and the Neurobehavior H.O.M.E. Program for children and adults with developmental disabilities. He formerly served as Medical Director of UNI's adolescent substance abuse intensive outpatient program. More information regarding Dr. Kondo's research work is available at the Internet website: UtahBrain.org.

    Board Certification

    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Psychiatry)
  • Douglas Kondo, MD, Associate Professor (Clinical), is an adult and child psychiatrist, and brain imaging researcher who works at the Salt Lake City VA Healthcare System (SLCVAHCS), in the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) [https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/]. His other appointments include the University's Huntsman Mental Health Institute, and the Diagnostic Neuroimaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry. His research areas include clinical trials of Veterans, children and adolescents, which incorporate pre-treatment and post-treatment brain scans that measure levels of brain chemicals that are thought to be important in psychiatric disorders and substance use. He also conducts epidemiological research on the effects of altitude on regional rates of suicide, psychiatric disorders and substance use.

    Dr. Kondo's translational neuroimaging clinical trials are currently focused on Suicidal Ideation (SI), Bipolar Disorder (BD), and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) -- and the brain chemistry changes that associated with these conditions. Depending on the study, participants are military Veterans or adolescents, and the neuroimaging method used is Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), performed on an FDA-approved clinical MRI scanner that does not use ionizing radiation. MRS is considered safe, which allows for scans to be performed pre-treatment (i.e. at "baseline"), and then repeated after several weeks of treatment (i.e. "post-treatment"). The goal of the pre-treatment scans is to identify which of up to 25 brain chemicals are altered at baseline, in research participants who have SI, BD or MDD. Then, following treatment with an active drug or with placebo, the goal of the follow-up, post-treatment scans is to measure brain chemistry changes, in patients who respond to treatment and recover from their SI, BD or MDD. The first hypothesis underlying this work is that problems with brain energy metabolism (a.k.a. "mitochondrial dysfunction") is a contributor to mood disorders and substance use in children, adolescents and adults. A second, and related hypothesis, is that targeting brain energy metabolism with natural treatments, is one potentially effective treatment strategy.

    The epidemiology studies Dr. Kondo works on utilize large, national mental illness and substance use data sets collected by research experts like the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These datasets are then combined with state and county altitude data from the Space Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), which was collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). When combined for analysis, the goal of this work is to study the association of increasing altitude with regional rates of suicide, psychiatric symptoms, substance use. The underlying hypothesis is that the phenomenon known as "hypobaric hypoxia" may be an unrecognized contributor to the burden of psychiatric illness and substance abuse. For example, ambient barometric (a.k.a. atmospheric) pressure decreases with altitude. This means that at the altitude of Salt Lake City or Denver, Colorado, the air pressure is approximately 15% lower than at Sea Level. This means that the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) is also reduced by 15%. Research has shown that this 15% reduction in FiO2 translates into a 20% reduction in the partial pressure of oxygen, in the arterial blood of human beings (PaO2). Preclinical studies have shown that this phenomenon, which is called "Hypobaric Hypoxia," alters levels of neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine, that have been implicated in psychiatric illness and addiction. Taken together, Dr. Kondo's human brain imaging studies, epidemiology work with CDC data, and the Diagnostic Neuroimaging Laboratory's animal models research, constitute a three-pronged multi-directional translational research program. This means that hypotheses that are generated based upon findings from any of the three scientific disciplines, can rapidly be tested in one or both of the other two.

    Prior to joining the MIRECC and Diagnostic Neuroimaging research teams, Dr. Kondo's previous positions at the School of Medicine included: inpatient child and adult psychiatry at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute (UNI), the Kidstar day treatment program for elementary school age children at UNI, the adolescent Teenscope day treatment program for middle and high school-aged students at UNI, and the Neurobehavior H.O.M.E. Program for children and adults with developmental disabilities. He formerly served as Medical Director of UNI's adolescent substance abuse intensive outpatient program. More information regarding Dr. Kondo's research work is available at the Internet website: UtahBrain.org.

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Psychiatry -Primary
    Board Certification
    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
    American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology (Psychiatry)

    Education history

    Postdoctoral Fellowship Psychiatry - Duke University Medical Center Postdoctoral Fellow
    Psychiatry - Duke University Medical Center Resident
    Chief Resident Psychiatry - Duke University Medical Center Chief Resident
    Psychiatry - Duke University Medical Center Resident
    Residency Psychiatry - Menninger Clinic Resident
    Medicine - University of Utah M.D.
    Undergraduate Philosophy - University of Virginia B.A.

    Selected Publications

    Journal Article

    1. Huber RS, Boxer D, Smith CJ, Renshaw PF, Yurgelun-Todd DA, Kondo DG (2023). Detailed assessment of suicidal ideation in youth with bipolar disorder versus major depressive disorder. Bipolar Disord, 25(3), 200-208.
    2. Prescot A, Huber R, Kanekar S, Kondo D, Prisciandaro J, Ongur D, Renshaw PF (2021). Effect of moderate altitude on human cerebral metabolite levels: A preliminary, multi-site, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy investigation. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging, 314, 111314.
    3. Kang I, Kondo D, Kim J, Lyoo IK, Yurgelun-Todd D, Hwang J, Renshaw PF (2020). Elevating the level of hypoxia inducible factor may be a new potential target for the treatment of depression. Med Hypotheses, 146, 110398.
    4. Bakian AV, Huber RS, Scholl L, Renshaw PF, Kondo D (2020). Dietary creatine intake and depression risk among U.S. adults. Transl Psychiatry, 10(1), 52.
    5. Kious BM, Kondo DG, Renshaw PF (2019). Creatine for the Treatment of Depression. Biomolecules, 9(9).
    6. Huber RS, Subramaniam P, Kondo DG, Shi X, Renshaw PF, Yurgelun-Todd DA (2018). Reduced lateral orbitofrontal cortex volume and suicide behavior in youth with bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord, 21(4), 321-329.
    7. Sabic H, Kious B, Boxer D, Fitzgerald C, Riley C, Scholl L, McGlade E, Yurgelun-Todd D, Renshaw PF, Kondo DG (2019). Effect of Altitude on Veteran Suicide Rates. High Alt Med Biol, 20(2), 171-177.
    8. Hwang J, DeLisi LE, ngr D, Riley C, Zuo C, Shi X, Sung YH, Kondo D, Kim TS, Villafuerte R, Smedberg D, Yurgelun-Todd D, Renshaw PF (2019). Cerebral bioenergetic differences measured by phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy between bipolar disorder and healthy subjects living in two different regions suggesting possible effects of altitude. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 73(9), 581-589.
    9. Huber RS, Kim TS, Kim N, Kuykendall MD, Sherwood SN, Renshaw PF, Kondo DG (2015). Association Between Altitude and Regional Variation of ADHD in Youth. J Atten Disord, 22(14), 1299-1306.
    10. Prescot AP, Prisciandaro JJ, Miller SR, Ingenito G, Kondo DG, Renshaw PF (2018). Two-Dimensional Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy versus J-Editing for GABA Quantification in Human Brain: Insights from a GABA-Aminotransferase Inhibitor Study. Sci Rep, 8(1), 13200.
    11. Kious BM, Kondo DG, Renshaw PF (2018). Living High and Feeling Low: Altitude, Suicide, and Depression. Harv Rev Psychiatry, 26(2), 43-56.
    12. Prescot AP, Miller SR, Ingenito G, Huber RS, Kondo DG, Renshaw PF (2018). In Vivo Detection of CPP-115 Target Engagement in Human Brain. Neuropsychopharmacology, 43(3), 646-654.
    13. Huber RS, Kondo DG, Shi XF, Prescot AP, Clark E, Renshaw PF, Yurgelun-Todd DA (2018). Relationship of executive functioning deficits to N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in youth with bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord, 225, 71-78.
    14. Kious BM, Sabic H, Sung YH, Kondo DG, Renshaw P (2017). An Open-Label Pilot Study of Combined Augmentation With Creatine Monohydrate and 5-Hydroxytryptophan for Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor- or Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor-Resistant Depression in Adult Women. J Clin Psychopharmacol, 37(5), 578-583.
    15. Kondo DG, Forrest LN, Shi X, Sung YH, Hellem TL, Huber RS, Renshaw PF (2016). Creatine target engagement with brain bioenergetics: a dose-ranging phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy study of adolescent females with SSRI-resistant depression. Amino Acids, 48(8), 1941-54.
    16. Shi XF, Carlson PJ, Sung YH, Fiedler KK, Forrest LN, Hellem TL, Huber RS, Kim SE, Zuo C, Jeong EK, Renshaw PF, Kondo DG (2015). Decreased brain PME/PDE ratio in bipolar disorder: a preliminary (31) P magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Bipolar Disord, 17(7), 743-52.
    17. Sung YH, Yurgelun-Todd DA, Kondo DG, Shi XF, Lundberg KJ, Hellem TL, Huber RS, McGlade EC, Jeong EK, Renshaw PF (2015). Gender differences in the effect of tobacco use on brain phosphocreatine levels in methamphetamine-dependent subjects. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse, 41(4), 281-9.
    18. Huber RS, Kim N, Renshaw CE, Renshaw PF, Kondo DG (2014). Relationship between altitude and lithium in groundwater in the United States of America: results of a 1992-2003 study. Geospat Health, 9(1), 231-5.
    19. Huber RS, Kim N, Renshaw CE, Renshaw PF, Kondo DG (2014). Relationship between altitude and lithium in groundwater in the United States of America: results of a 1992-2003 study. Geospat Health, 9(1), 231-235.
    20. Kim TS, Kondo DG, Kim N, Renshaw PF (2014). Altitude may contribute to regional variation in methamphetamine use in the United States: a population database study. Psychiatry Investig, 11(4), 430-6.
    21. Shi XF, Carlson PJ, Kim TS, Sung YH, Hellem TL, Fiedler KK, Kim SE, Glaeser B, Wang K, Zuo CS, Jeong EK, Renshaw PF, Kondo DG (2014). Effect of altitude on brain intracellular pH and inorganic phosphate levels. Psychiatry Res, 222(3), 149-56.
    22. Kondo DG, Hellem TL, Shi XF, Sung YH, Prescot AP, Kim TS, Huber RS, Forrest LN, Renshaw PF (2014). A review of MR spectroscopy studies of pediatric bipolar disorder. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 35(6 Suppl), S64-80.
    23. Huber RS, Coon H, Kim N, Renshaw PF, Kondo DG (2014). Altitude is a risk factor for completed suicide in bipolar disorder. Med Hypotheses, 82(3), 377-81.
    24. Shi XF, Forrest LN, Kuykendall MD, Prescot AP, Sung YH, Huber RS, Hellem TL, Jeong EK, Renshaw PF, Kondo DG (2014). Anterior cingulate cortex choline levels in female adolescents with unipolar versus bipolar depression: a potential new tool for diagnosis. J Affect Disord, 167, 25-9.
    25. Sung YH, Yurgelun-Todd DA, Shi XF, Kondo DG, Lundberg KJ, McGlade EC, Hellem TL, Huber RS, Fiedler KK, Harrell RE, Nickerson BR, Kim SE, Jeong EK, Renshaw PF (2013). Decreased frontal lobe phosphocreatine levels in methamphetamine users. Drug Alcohol Depend, 129(1-2), 102-9.
    26. Shi XF, Kondo DG, Sung YH, Hellem TL, Fiedler KK, Jeong EK, Huber RS, Renshaw PF (2012). Frontal lobe bioenergetic metabolism in depressed adolescents with bipolar disorder: a phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. Bipolar Disord, 14(6), 607-17.
    27. Fiedler KK, Kim N, Kondo DG, Renshaw PF (June 2012). Cocaine use in the past year is associated with altitude of residence. J Addict Med, 6(2), 166-71.
    28. Fiedler KK, Kim N, Kondo DG, Renshaw PF (2012). Cocaine use in the past year is associated with altitude of residence. J Addict Med, 6(2), 166-71.
    29. Kondo DG, Sung YH, Hellem TL, Fiedler KK, Shi X, Jeong EK, Renshaw PF (2011). Open-label adjunctive creatine for female adolescents with SSRI-resistant major depressive disorder: a 31-phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy study. J Affect Disord, 135(1-3), 354-61.
    30. Marchant BK, Reimherr FW, Halls C, Williams ED, Strong RE, Kondo D, Soni P, Robison RJ (2011). Long-term open-label response to atomoxetine in adult ADHD: influence of sex, emotional dysregulation, and double-blind response to atomoxetine. Atten Defic Hyperact Disord, 3(3), 237-44.
    31. Marchant BK, Reimherr FW, Robison RJ, Olsen JL, Kondo DG (2011). Methylphenidate transdermal system in adult ADHD and impact on emotional and oppositional symptoms. J Atten Disord, 15(4), 295-304.
    32. Kondo DG, Sung YH, Hellem TL, Delmastro KK, Jeong EK, Kim N, Shi X, Renshaw PF (2011). Open-label uridine for treatment of depressed adolescents with bipolar disorder. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol, 21(2), 171-5.
    33. DelMastro K, Hellem T, Kim N, Kondo D, Sung YH, Renshaw PF (2011). Incidence of major depressive episode correlates with elevation of substate region of residence. J Affect Disord, 129(1-3), 376-9.
    34. Kondo DG, Hellem TL, Sung YH, Kim N, Jeong EK, Delmastro KK, Shi X, Renshaw PF (2011). Review: magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of pediatric major depressive disorder. Depress Res Treat, 2011, 650450.
    35. Robison RJ, Reimherr FW, Marchant BK, Kondo D, Lyon GJ, Olsen J, Christopherson D, Pommerville C, Tuya S, Johnson A, Coon H (July 2010). The Use of Emotional Dysregulation as an Endophenotype for Genetic Studies in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. 1(4), 29-38.
    36. Shapiro M, Silva SG, Compton S, Chrisman A, DeVeaugh-Geiss J, Breland-Noble A, Kondo D, Kirchner J, March JS (2009). The child and adolescent psychiatry trials network (CAPTN): infrastructure development and lessons learned. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health, 3(1), 12.
    37. Shapiro M, Silva S, Compton S, Chrisman A, DeVaugh-Geiss J, Breland-Noble A, Kondo D, Kirchner J, and March J (2009). The child and adolescent psychiatry trials network (CAPTN): Infrastructure development and lessons learned. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health, 3(1), 12-25.
    38. March JS, Szatmari P, Bukstein O, Chrisman A, Kondo D, Hamilton JD, Kremer CM, Kratochvil CJ (2007 September). AACAP 2005 Research Forum: Speeding the adoption of evidence-based practice in pediatric psychiatry. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 46(9), 1098-1110.
    39. Kondo DG, Speer MC, Krishnan KR, McQuoid DR, Slifer SH, Pieper CF, Billups AV, Steffens DC (2007). Association of AGTR1 with 18-month treatment outcome in late-life depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, 15(7), 564-72.
    40. Kondo DG, Sokol MS (2006). Eating disorders in primary care. A guide to identification and treatment. Postgrad Med, 119(3), 59-65.
    41. Egger HL, Kondo DG, Angold A (2006). The Epidemiology and Diagnostic Issues in Preschool Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: a Review. Infants Young Child, 19(2), 109-122.
    42. Kondo DG, Chrisman AK, March JS (2003 Summer). An evidenced-based medicine approach to combined treatment of ADHD in children and adolescents. Psychopharmacol Bull, 37(3), 7-23.
    43. Kondo DG, Chrisman AK, March JS (2003). An evidence-based medicine approach to combined treatment for ADHD in children and adolescents. Psychopharmacol Bull, 37(3), 7-23.
    44. Sokol MS, Ward PE, Tamiya H, Kondo DG, Houston D, Zabriskie JB (2002). D8/17 expression on B lymphocytes in anorexia nervosa. Am J Psychiatry, 159(8), 1430-2.
    45. Kondo DG, Judd VE (2000). Demographic characteristics of US medical school admission committees. JAMA, 284(9), 1111-3.
    46. Kondo DG, Bishop FM, Jacobson JA (2000). Residents' and patients' perspectives on informed consent in primary care clinics. J Clin Ethics, 11(1), 39-48.

    Book Chapter

    1. Kondo DG, March JS (2004). Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In Haas L (Ed.), Handbook of Primary Care Psychology (pp. 215-234). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Letter

    1. Kious B, Kondo D, Renshaw P (2020). Letter to the Editor RE: Honigman et al., Editorial Comment on: Effect of Altitude on Veteran Suicide Rates by Sabic et al. [Letter to the editor]. High Alt Med Biol, 21(2), 206-208.

    Abstract

    1. Huber R, Kondo D, Subramaniam P, Renshaw P, Yurgelun-Todd, D (May 1, 2018). F146. Reduced Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) Volume in Bipolar Adolescents With Suicide Attempts [Abstract]. Biological Psychiatry, 83(9 Supplement), S294-S295.
    2. Kondo D, Bishop M, and Jaccobson J (1997). Resident Physicians' Understanding and Use of Informed Consent. In: The American Federation for Medical Research, Western Section Annual Meeting. [Abstract]. Journal of Investigative Medicine, 45(1), 74A-179A.

    Other

    1. March JS, Szatmari P, Bukstein O, Chrisman A, Kondo D, Hamilton JD, Kremer CM, Kratochvil CJ (2007). AACAP 2005 Research Forum: speeding the adoption of evidence-based practice in pediatric psychiatry. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry (46(9), pp. 1098-110). United States.
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