DIVISION OF NEUROPATHOLOGY

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY

Division of Neuropathology - Faculty

Ronald L. Hamilton, MD

Associate Professor, Department of Pathology

MD, University of Nebraska 1989

Office Location	Contact Information
UPMC Presbyterian Division of Neuropathology M8709 South Tower 200 Lothrop Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213	Office Telephone: 412-647-6615 Office Fax: 412-647-5602 Email: hamiltonrl@upmc.edu

Research Interests:

Dr. Hamilton has research interests in molecular biology of brain tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases. Research on pediatric brain tumors with Dr. Ian Pollack, a pediatric neurosurgeon has resulted in numerous publications.  In 2005 Dr. Hamilton formed the Brain Tumor Bank for adults.  Current brain tumor research uses IHC, FISH, LOH and mutation analysis on human tissues and correlation to prognosis.  He is Director of the Neuropathology Core of the Pittsburgh ADRC (2002-present) and Director of the Neuropathology Autopsy Brain Bank, which includes independently funded tissue banks for Movement Disorders, ALS and Late Life Mood Disorders.  Current work is focused on correlation of PiB amyloid imaging in vivo and brain pathology at autopsy and vascular factors in dementing diseases.  Dr. Hamilton also supervises the Neurohistology Laboratory which supplies paraffin-embedding, histology and staining services for many neuroscience laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr Hamilton is the Case-of-the-Month Editor (1996-present) of Brain Pathology (journal of the International Society of Neuropathology).

Research Grants:

ACTIVE

P50 AG05133-26    (PI: Lopez)                            3/30/85 – 3/31/10                     1.80 calendar months

National Institutes of Health                                    $71,764             

Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Core C: Neuropathology

The three objectives of the Neuropathology Core are to (1) procure and bank brain from autopsies of ADRC patients and controls, (2) perform detailed neuropathologic analysis of all AD cases and (3) maintain well catalogued brain bank.Role: Core Director 

R01 NS037704-11     (PI: Pollack)                            9/1/98-3/31/10                    2.40 calendar months

National Institutes of Health                                        $43,200Molecular

Markers as Predictors of Outcome in Gliomas

The major goal of this project is to further characterize the molecular features of tumorigenesis in pediatric malignant gliomas.Role:  Co-Investigator 

P01 NS040923-07     (PI: Pollack)                            7/1/02-5/31/13                    1.20 calendar months

National Institutes of Health                                        $22,074

Novel Strategies for Brain Tumor Therapy

The unifying hypothesis of this program project grant is that novel therapeutic approaches that take into account the unique features of central nervous system (CNS) tumors will have utility for preventing tumor growth and inducing tumor regression, and will potentiate the effects of conventional treatment approaches, particularly radiotherapy, for inducing glioma cell killing. Role:  Co-Investigator 

R01 MH072947-05    (PI: Butters)                            12/1/04 –11/30/10               0.36 calendar months

National Institutes of Health                                        $6,018

Pathways Linking Late Life Depression to Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

The goal of this project is to investigate the relationships among late-life depression (LLD), cognitive impairment and progressive neurodegeneration.Role:  Co-Investigator 

R21 CA133859-01     (PI: Okada)                            07/01/09 – 06/30/11             0.60 calendar months

National Institutes of Health                                        $10,821

A Bi-Institutional Pilot Study of Vaccinations for Patients with Low Grade Glioma             

The goal of this project is to use tissues from the patient’s own brain tumor to stimulate an immune response.  Role:  Co-Investigator

Selected Publications:

Hamilton RL. Lewy Bodies in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Neuropathological Review of 145 Cases Using alpha-synuclein Immunohistochemistry. Brain Pathol 10: 378-384, 2000.

Pollack IF, Finkelstein SD, Woods J, Burnham J, Holmes EJ, Hamilton RL, Yates AJ, Boyett JM, Finlay J, Sposto R, and CCG. TP53 Mutations, Expression of p53 and Prognosis in Children with Malignant Gliomas.  New England Journal of Medicine 346:420-427, 2002

Hamilton RL, Bowser B Alzheimer Disease Pathology in ALS Acta Neuropathologica107:515-522, 2004

Sweet RA, Hamilton RL, Butters ME, Mulsant BH, Pollock BG, Lewis DA, DeKosky ST, Reynolds CF.  Neuropathologic Correlates of Dementia in Late Life Major Depression Neuropsychopharmacology 29:2242-2250, 2004

Tsuang D, Wilson R, Lopez OL, Luedecking-Zimmer EK, Leverenz JB, DeKosky ST, Kamboh MI, Hamilton RL.  Genetic Association Between APOE*4 Allele and Lewy Bodies in Alzheimer’s Disease Neurology, 64:509-513, 2005. PMCID:  PMC1487185

Omalu BI, Minster RL, Kamboh MI, Hamilton RL, Wecht CH, DeKosky ST.  Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in a National Football League (NFL) Player Neurosurgery, 57:128-134, 2005.

Lopez OL, Becker JT, Sweet RA, Martin-Sanchez FJ, Hamilton RL  Lewy bodies in the Amygdala increase risk for major depression in subjects with Alzheimer disease. Neurology 67:660-665, 2006.

Beach TG, White CL, Hamilton, RL, Duda JE, Iwatsubo T, Dickson DW, Leverenz JB, Roncaroli F, Buttini M, Hladik CL, Sue LI, Noorigian JV, Adler CH.  Evaluation of alpha-synuclein immunohistochemical methods used by invited experts.  Acta Neuropathol 116:277-88, 2008. PMID 18626651.  PMCID:  PMC2708176

Ikonomovic MD, Klunk WE, Abrahamson EE, Mathis CA, Price JC, Tsopelas ND, Lopresti BJ, Ziolko S, Bi W, Paljug WR, Debnath ML, Hope CE, Isanski BA, Hamilton RL, DeKosky ST. Post-mortem correlates of in vivo PiB-PET amyloid imaging in a typical case of Alzheimers disease. Brain  131(Pt 6):1630-45, 2008.  PMID  18339640.  PMCID:  PMC2408940