Center for Global Health Faculty

Karen Bolla

Psychologist

Academic Degrees

Departmental Address

JHBVMC, B Bldg, Rm 123, 4940 Eastern Ave Baltimore, MD 21224

Contact Information

Email:: kbolla+jhmi.edu
Phone:: 410-550-1123
Fax:: 410-550-0539
Link:: SciVal Experts Research Profile

Research and Professional Experience

Dr. Bolla's research focuses on exploring brain-behavior relationships in the areas of :1) substance abuse (alcohol, cocaine, MDMA, heroin, methadone, marijuana); 2) neurotoxicant exposures; and 3) normal and abnormal aging, using neurocognitive measures alone and in combination with neuroimaging methodology (i.e., PET, fMRI, and volumetric brain morphology). She is also interested in sleep medicine and sleep disorders associated with substance abuse and drug withdrawal. Within the area of substance abuse her current interests concentration on the neurobiological effects of heavy marijuana use.

Dr. Bolla's has also been involved in international studies including: 1) neurocognitive effects of lead exposure in Korean workers; and 2) cognitive effects of alcohol and heroin in Russian substance abusers. Dr. Bolla has hosted students and visiting scientists from Brazil and Spain.

Keywords

neuropsychology, drug abuse, behavioral neurotoxicology, aging

Selected Publications

Bolla, K.I., Rothman, R., Cadet, J.L. Dose-Related Neurobehavioral Effects of Chronic Cocaine Use. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 11(3):361-369, 1999.

Stewart, W.F., Schwartz, B.S., Simon, D., Bolla, K.I., Todd, A.C., Links, J. The Relation between Neurobehavioral Function and Tibial and Chelatable Lead Levels in 543 Former Organolead Manufacturing Workers. Neurology, 52(8):610-617, 1999. Bolla, K.I., Funderburk, FR, Cadet, JL. Differential Effects of Cocaine and Cocaine + Alcohol on Neurocognitive Performance. Neurology, 54(12):2285-2291, 2000.

Schwartz, BS, Stewart, WF, Bolla, KI, Simon, D., Bandeen-Roche, K, Gordon, B, Todd, AC, Links, JM. Past Adult Lead Exposure Is Associated With Longitudinal Decline In Neurobehavioral Function. Neurology, 55(2):1144-1150, 2000.

Schwartz, BS, Lee, BK, Lee, GS, Stewart, WF, Lee SS, Hwang, KY, Dong, K, Kim, YB, Bolla, KI, Simon, D, Parsons, P, Todd, AC. Associations of Blood Lead, Dimercaptosuccinic Acid- chelatable Tibia Lead with Neurobehavioral Test Scores in South Korean Lead Workers. American J. of Epidemiology, 153(5):453-464, 2001.

Hwang, KY, Lee, BK, Bressler, JP, Bolla, KI, Stewart, WF, Schwartz, BS. Protein Kinase C Activity and the Relations Between Blood Lead and Neurobehavioral Function in Lead Workers. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110(2):133-138, 2002.

Ernst, M., Bolla, KI, Mouratidis, MA, Contereggi, C., Matochik, J. Kurian, MS, Cadet, JL, Kimes, AS, London, E. Decision-Making in a Risk-Taking Task: A PET Study. Neuropsychopharmacology, 26(5):682-691, 2002.

Mouratidis, M, Bolla, KI, Funderburk, FR, Kimes, A, Cadet, J.-L. Brain Activation and the Stroop Color-Word Interference Task: Implications for Assessment and Treatment. Journal of Psychotherapy in Independent Practice, 2(4):25-36, 2002.

Bolla, KI., Brown, K., Eldreth, DA, Tate, K., Cadet, JL. Dose-Related Neurocognitive Effects of Marijuana Abuse. Neurology, 59 (9):1337-1342, 2002. CME Credit

Bolla, KI, Eldreth, DA, London ED, Kiehl, KA, Mouratidis, M., Contereggi, C., Matochik, J. Kurian, MS, Cadet, JL, Kimes, AS, Funderburk, F, Ernst, M. Orbitofrontal Cortex Dysfunction in Abstinent Cocaine Abusers Performing a Decision-Making Task. NeuroImage. 19:1085-1094, 2003.

Matochik, JA, London, EL, Eldreth, DA, Cadet, JL, Bolla, KI. Frontal cortical tissue composition in abstinent cocaine abusers: a magnetic resonance imaging study. NeuroImage 19:1095-1102, 2003.

Ernst, M., Kimes, AS, London, E., Matochik, J., Eldreth, D., Tata, S., Contereggi, C., Leff M, Bolla, KI, Neural Substrates of Decision-Making in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160:1061-1070, 2003.

Schwartz, B.S., Glass, T., Bolla, K.I., Stewart, W., Glass, G., Rasmusssen M., Bressler, J. Shi, Weiping, Bandeed-Roche, K. Disparities in Cognitive Functioning by Race/Ethnicity in the Baltimore Memory Study. Environmental Health Perspective. 112(3):314–320, 2004.

Bolla, K.I., Eldreth, D., Matochik, J., Cadet JL. Sex-Related Differences in a Gambling Task and Its Neurologic Correlates Cerebral Cortex. 14(11):1226-1232, 2004.

Bolla, KI, Ernst, M., Kiehl, KA, Mouratidis, M., Eldreth, DA, Contereggi, C., Matochik, J. Kurian, MS, Cadet, JL, Kimes, AS, Funderburk, F, London, E. Prefrontal Cortical Dysfunction in Abstinent Cocaine Abusers. Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscienc. 16(4) Fall, 456–464, 2004.

Schwartz, B.S., Byung-Kook Lee, B.-K., Bandeen-Roche, K., Stewart, W., Bolla, K.I., Links, J., Weaver, V., Todd, A. Occupational Lead Exposure and Longitudinal Decline in Neurobehavioral Test Scores. Epidemiology, 16(1):106-133, 2005.

Eldreth, D., Matochik, J. Cadet JL, Bolla, K.I. Abnormal Brain Activity in Prefrontal Brain Regions in Abstinent Marijuana Users. NeuroImage, 23(3):914-920, 2004.

Matochik, JA, Eldreth, DA, Cadet, JL, Bolla, KI. Altered Brain Tissue Composition in Heavy Marijuana Users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Jan 7;77(1):23-30, 2004.

Schafer, J.H., Glass, T.A., Bolla, K.I., Schwartz, B.S. Homocysteine and Cognitive Function in a Population-Based Study of Older Adults, Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 53:381- 388, 2005.

Weil, M., Bressler, J., Parsons, P., Bolla, K.I., Glass, T., Schwartz, B.S. Blood Mercury Levels and Neurobehavioral Function in the Baltimore Memory Study, JAMA, 293(15): 1875–1882, 2005.

Bolla, K.I., Eldreth, D., Matochik, J. Cadet JL. Neural Substrates of Faulty Decision-Making in Abstinent Marijuana Users. NeuroImage, 26:480-492, 2005.