Staff

Pedro E. Martinez, MD
Chief, NIMH Reproductive Psychiatry Clinic
Staff Clinician

301-402-0615
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Pedro E. Martinez, MD is the Medical Director of the Reproductive Psychiatry Clinic for the Behavioral Endocrinology Branch in the Division of Intramural Research Programs at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). He trained in adult and child psychiatry with an interest in developmental and neuroendocrine mechanisms in mood disorders as well as adaptation to chronic conditions.

Research Interests

Dr. Pedro E. Martinez’s research focuses on the influence of sex steroids on the regulation of mood and brain function. More specifically, his work is concentrated on reproductive related mood disorders in women (postpartum depression and psychosis, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and mood disorders associated with the menopause transition). Recently he has been studying the effects of the pubertal transition on brain development in healthy children. He also serves as a psychiatric consultant to the transplant and pediatric oncology units at the National Institutes of Health for both adult and child patients and has been working with patients dealing with chronic illnesses for the past twenty years.

Publications

The cortisol and ACTH response to Dex/CRH Testing in women with and without perimenopausal depression. Guerrieri GM, Ben Dor R, Li X, Wei SM, Martinez PE, Neiman LK, Rubinow DR, Schmidt PJ. (2021). J Clin Endocrinol Metab. PMID: 34097071

The NIMH Intramural Longitudinal Study of the Endocrine and Neurobiological Events Accompanying Puberty: Protocol and Rationale for Methods and Measures. Katherine M. Reding, Shau-Ming Wei, Pedro E. Martinez, Tuong-Vi Nguyen, Michael D. Gregory, J. Shane Kippenhan, Philip D. Kohn, Steven J. Soldin, Lynnette K. Nieman, Jack A. Yanovski, Peter J. Schmidt*, Karen F. Berman*. (2021). NeuroImage. PMID: 33771694

Subgenual Cingulate Resting Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: Differential Regulation by Ovarian Steroids and Preliminary Evidence for an Association with Expression of ESC/E(Z) Complex Genes. Shau-Ming Wei, Erica B. Baller, Pedro E. Martinez, Allison C. Goff, Howard J. Li, Philip D. Kohn, J. Shane Kippenhan, Steven J. Soldin, David R. Rubinow, David Goldman, Peter J. Schmidt, Karen F. Berman. (2021). Translational Psychiatry. PMID: 33833224

The short-term effects of estradiol, raloxifene, and a phytoestrogen in women with perimenopausal depression. Schmidt PJ, Wei SM, Martinez PE, Ben Dor RR, Guerrieri GM, Palladino PP, Harsh VL, Li HJ, Wakim P, Nieman LK, Rubinow DR. (2021). Menopause. PMID: 33470755

Effects of sex on placebo effects in chronic pain participants: a cross-sectional study. Olson EM, Akintola T, Phillips J, Blasini M, Haycock NR, Martinez PE, Greenspan JD, Dorsey SG, Wang Y, Colloca L. (2021). Pain. PMID: 32826757

Transdermal estradiol for postpartum depression: results from a pilot randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Li HJ, Martinez PE, Li X, Schenkel LA, Nieman LK, Rubinow DR, Schmidt PJ. (2020). Arch Womens Ment Health. PMID: 31372757

OPRM1 rs1799971, COMT rs4680, and FAAH rs324420 genes interact with placebo procedures to induce hypoalgesia. Colloca L, Wang Y, Martinez PE, Chang YC, Ryan KA, Hodgkinson C, Goldman D, Dorsey SG. (2019). Pain. PMID: 31335650

5α-Reductase Inhibition Prevents the Luteal Phase Increase in Plasma Allopregnanolone Levels and Mitigates Symptoms in Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Martinez PE, Rubinow DR, Nieman LK, Koziol DE, Morrow AL, Schiller CE, Cintron D, Thompson KD, Khine KK, Schmidt PJ. (2016). Neuropsychopharmacology. 41(4):1093-102. PMID: 26272051