Becky Kinkead

Becky Kinkead, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Psychiatry

Divisions: Adult Psychiatry

Research Interests

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Integrative Medicine
  • Cancer Related Fatigue

Becky Kinkead, PhD, Research Professor, earned a BA degree in Biology at Cornell University and received a PhD in Molecular Therapeutics and Toxicology from Emory University. Under the mentorship of Charles Nemeroff, MD, PhD, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship (Markey fellow) in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University where she began her academic career as Assistant Professor in the Research track (1999-2011). In 2011, she switched to the Medical Educator/service track and was an Associate Professor (2012-2021). While at Emory, she held numerous administrative positions including Editor of the Grant Editing and Manuscript Support Core in Emory+Children’s Pediatric Research Center (2013-2021), the Emory FIRST co-Champion, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (2016-2021), and Administrative Director of Psychiatry Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (2017-2021). In addition, as Director of Grant Development, she has served in a leadership position within the Office of Postdoctoral Education in the Emory University School of Medicine (2016-2021).

A highly respected researcher exploring complementary approaches to the treatment of anxiety, depression, and cancer-related fatigue, Dr. Kinkead has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles including first author publications in such high impact journals as Synapse, Biological Psychiatry, and The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. These studies have moved the field of complementary and integrative medicine forward by addressing the issue of replicability. The development and use of standardized, controlled protocols for manual therapies have led to publications demonstrating the efficacy of Swedish massage therapy for both anxiety and cancer-related fatigue. Team studies evaluating the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids for depression have provided rationale for the need for a personalized medicine strategy in omega-3 studies, demonstrating that subjects with underlying chronic inflammation are the most responsive to omega-3s. Additional scholarly work includes publication of 3 book chapters and15 review articles, and one Grand Rounds presentation. In 2019, Dr. Kinkead served as Chair for a national workshop on grants education organized by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Based on her expertise in grantsmanship, she has consulted for 3 national/international organizations seeking grant funding. She has provided national and international service as an ad hoc reviewer through Department of Defense PTSD clinical grant review panels and funding review bodies in Israel and Singapore, and reviews peer-reviewed articles for sixteen neuroscience journals. Dr. Kinkead has been continually funded as PI, Co-PI, or Co-Investigator on federally- and privately-funded studies since 1999.

Education History

Fellowship Emory University School of Medicine
 Postdoctoral Fellow
Professional Medical Emory Laney Graduate School
 PhD
Undergraduate Cornell University
 BA

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Mac Giollabhui N, Mischoulon D, Dunlop BW, Kinkead B, Schettler PJ, Liu RT, Okereke OI, Lamon-Fava S, Fava M, Rapaport MH (2023). Individuals with depression exhibiting a pro-inflammatory phenotype receiving omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids experience improved motivation-related cognitive function: Preliminary results from a randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Immun Health, 32, 100666. (Read full article)
  2. Rapaport MH, Schettler PJ, Larson ER, Edwards SA, Dunlop BW, Rakofsky JJ, Kinkead B (2022). A preliminary descriptive report of the longevity of the effects of Swedish Massage therapy for subjects with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. J Bodyw Mov Ther, 33, 176-181. (Read full article)
  3. Thrivikraman KV, Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Rapaport MH, Plotsky PM (2021). Locus Coeruleus Noradrenergic Modulation of Diurnal Corticosterone, Stress Reactivity, and Cardiovascular Homeostasis in Male Rats. Neuroendocrinology, 112(8), 763-776. (Read full article)
  4. Czamara D, Tissink E, Tuhkanen J, Martins J, Awaloff Y, Drake AJ, Khulan B, Palotie A, Winter SM, Nemeroff CB, Craighead WE, Dunlop BW, Mayberg HS, Kinkead B, Mathew SJ, Iosifescu DV, Neylan TC, Heim CM, Lahti J, Eriksson JG, Rikknen K, Ressler KJ, Provenal N, Binder EB (2021). Combined effects of genotype and childhood adversity shape variability of DNA methylation across age. Transl Psychiatry, 11(1), 88. (Read full article)
  5. Dunlop BW, Rakofsky JJ, Mischoulon D, Mayberg HS, Kinkead B, Nierenberg AA, Ziegler TR, Fava M, Rapaport MH (2021). The United States Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation for Individuals (USiDep). Pers Med Psychiatry, (Mar-Apr), 31-32.
  6. Rapaport MH, Schettler PJ, Larson ER, Dunlop BW, Rakofsky JJ, Kinkead B (2020). Six versus twelve weeks of Swedish massage therapy for generalized anxiety disorder: Preliminary findings. Complement Ther Med, 56, 102593. (Read full article)
  7. Lamon-Fava S, So J, Mischoulon D, Ziegler TR, Dunlop BW, Kinkead B, Schettler PJ, Nierenberg AA, Felger JC, Maddipati KR, Fava M, Rapaport MH (2020). Dose- and time-dependent increase in circulating anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving lipid mediators following eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation in patients with major depressive disorder and chronic inflammation. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids, 164, 102219. (Read full article)
  8. Bigdeli TB, Genovese G, Georgakopoulos P, Meyers JL, Peterson RE, Iyegbe CO, Medeiros H, Valderrama J, Achtyes ED, Kotov R, Stahl EA, Abbott C, Azevedo MH, Belliveau RA, Bevilacqua E, Bromet EJ, Byerley W, Carvalho CB, Chapman SB, DeLisi LE, Dumont AL, ODushlaine C, Evgrafov OV, Fochtmann LJ, Gage D, Kennedy JL, Kinkead B, Macedo A, Moran JL, Morley CP, Dewan MJ, Nemesh J, Perkins DO, Purcell SM, Rakofsky JJ, Scolnick EM, Sklar BM, Sklar P, Smoller JW, Sullivan PF, Macciardi F, Marder SR, Gur RC, Gur RE, Braff DL, Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia COGS Investigators, Nicolini H, Escamilla MA, Vawter MP, Sobell JL, Malaspina D, Lehrer DS, Buckley PF, Rapaport MH, Knowles JA, Genomic Psychiatry Cohort GPC Consortium, Fanous AH, Pato MT, McCarroll SA, Pato CN (2019). Contributions of common genetic variants to risk of schizophrenia among individuals of African and Latino ancestry. Mol Psychiatry, 25(10), 2455-2467. (Read full article)
  9. Loring DW, Meador KJ, Shinnar S, Gaillard WD, Wheless JW, Kessler SK, Conry JA, Berl MM, Burns TG, Glauser TA, Kinkead B, Cnaan A (2019). Differential antiseizure medication sensitivity of the Affective Reactivity Index: A randomized controlled trial in new-onset pediatric focal epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav, 102, 106687. (Read full article)
  10. Waserstein G, Partin C, Cohen D, Schettler P, Kinkead B, Rapaport MH (2019). The prevalence and impact of psychiatric symptoms in an undiagnosed diseases clinical program. PLoS One, 14(6), e0216937. (Read full article)
  11. Dunlop BW, LoParo D, Kinkead B, Mletzko-Crowe T, Cole SP, Nemeroff CB, Mayberg HS, Craighead WE (2019). Benefits of Sequentially Adding Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Antidepressant Medication for Adults With Nonremitting Depression. Am J Psychiatry, 176(4), 275-286. (Read full article)
  12. Larson ER, Kinkead B, Edwards SA, Schettler PJ, Dunlop BW, Rakofsky JJ, Rapaport MH (2018). Model structure for protocol adherence utilizing a manualized therapeutic massage intervention. J Complement Integr Med, 16(2). (Read full article)
  13. Kinkead B, Schettler PJ, Larson ER, Carroll D, Sharenko M, Nettles J, Edwards SA, Miller AH, Torres MA, Dunlop BW, Rakofsky JJ, Rapaport MH (2017). Massage therapy decreases cancer-related fatigue: Results from a randomized early phase trial. Cancer, 124(3), 546-554. (Read full article)
  14. Rapaport MH, Schettler PJ, Larson ER, Carroll D, Sharenko M, Nettles J, Kinkead B (2018). Massage Therapy for Psychiatric Disorders. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ), 16(1), 24-31. (Read full article)
  15. Dunlop BW, Binder EB, Iosifescu D, Mathew SJ, Neylan TC, Pape JC, Carrillo-Roa T, Green C, Kinkead B, Grigoriadis D, Rothbaum BO, Nemeroff CB, Mayberg HS (2017). Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptor 1 Antagonism Is Ineffective for Women With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Biol Psychiatry, 82(12), 866-874. (Read full article)
  16. Dunlop BW, Rajendra JK, Craighead WE, Kelley ME, McGrath CL, Choi KS, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB, Mayberg HS (2017). Functional Connectivity of the Subcallosal Cingulate Cortex And Differential Outcomes to Treatment With Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Antidepressant Medication for Major Depressive Disorder. Am J Psychiatry, 174(6), 533-545. (Read full article)
  17. Dunlop BW, Kelley ME, Aponte-Rivera V, Mletzko-Crowe T, Kinkead B, Ritchie JC, Nemeroff CB, Craighead WE, Mayberg HS, PReDICT Team (2017). Effects of Patient Preferences on Outcomes in the Predictors of Remission in Depression to Individual and Combined Treatments (PReDICT) Study. Am J Psychiatry, 174(6), 546-556. (Read full article)
  18. Rapaport MH, Schettler P, Larson ER, Edwards SA, Dunlop BW, Rakofsky JJ, Kinkead B (2015). Acute Swedish Massage Monotherapy Successfully Remediates Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Proof-of-Concept, Randomized Controlled Study. J Clin Psychiatry, 77(7), e883-91. (Read full article)
  19. Rapaport MH, Nierenberg AA, Schettler PJ, Kinkead B, Cardoos A, Walker R, Mischoulon D (2015). Inflammation as a predictive biomarker for response to omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder: a proof-of-concept study. Mol Psychiatry, 21(1), 71-9. (Read full article)
  20. Chastain LG, Qu H, Bourke CH, Iuvone PM, Dobner PR, Nemeroff CB, Kinkead B (2014). Striatal dopamine receptor plasticity in neurotensin deficient mice. Behav Brain Res, 280, 160-71. (Read full article)
  21. Mischoulon D, Nierenberg AA, Schettler PJ, Kinkead BL, Fehling K, Martinson MA, Hyman Rapaport M (2014). A double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial comparing eicosapentaenoic acid versus docosahexaenoic acid for depression. J Clin Psychiatry, 76(1), 54-61. (Read full article)
  22. Dunlop BW, Rothbaum BO, Binder EB, Duncan E, Harvey PD, Jovanovic T, Kelley ME, Kinkead B, Kutner M, Iosifescu DV, Mathew SJ, Neylan TC, Kilts CD, Nemeroff CB, Mayberg HS (2014). Evaluation of a corticotropin releasing hormone type 1 receptor antagonist in women with posttraumatic stress disorder: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 15, 240. (Read full article)
  23. Hartz SM, Pato CN, Medeiros H, Cavazos-Rehg P, Sobell JL, Knowles JA, Bierut LJ, Pato MT, Genomic Psychiatry Cohort Consortium (2014). Comorbidity of severe psychotic disorders with measures of substance use. JAMA Psychiatry, 71(3), 248-54. (Read full article)
  24. Rakofsky JJ, Schettler PJ, Kinkead BL, Frank E, Judd LL, Kupfer DJ, Rush AJ, Thase ME, Yonkers KA, Rapaport MH (2012). The prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms along the spectrum of unipolar depressive disorders: a post hoc analysis. J Clin Psychiatry, 74(11), 1084-91. (Read full article)
  25. Garlow SJ, Kinkead B, Thase ME, Judd LL, Rush AJ, Yonkers KA, Kupfer DJ, Frank E, Schettler PJ, Rapaport MH (2013). Fluoxetine increases suicide ideation less than placebo during treatment of adults with minor depressive disorder. J Psychiatr Res, 47(9), 1199-203. (Read full article)
  26. Thrivikraman KV, Kinkead B, Murray KE, Owens MJ (2013). In vivo dialysis setup with a loop injection valve facilitates retrodialysis studies. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods, 68(2), 217-224. (Read full article)
  27. Chalermpalanupap T, Kinkead B, Hu WT, Kummer MP, Hammerschmidt T, Heneka MT, Weinshenker D, Levey AI (2013). Targeting norepinephrine in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimers Res Ther, 5(2), 21. (Read full article)
  28. Coccaro EF, Lee R, Owens MJ, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2012). Cerebrospinal fluid substance P-like immunoreactivity correlates with aggression in personality disordered subjects. Biol Psychiatry, 72(3), 238-43. (Read full article)
  29. Dunlop BW, Binder EB, Cubells JF, Goodman MM, Kelley ME, Kinkead B, Kutner M, Nemeroff CB, Newport DJ, Owens MJ, Pace TW, Ritchie JC, Rivera VA, Westen D, Craighead WE, Mayberg HS (2012). Predictors of remission in depression to individual and combined treatments (PReDICT): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 13, 106. (Read full article)
  30. Cceda R, Binder EB, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2011). The role of endogenous neurotensin in psychostimulant-induced disruption of prepulse inhibition and locomotion. Schizophr Res, 136(1-3), 88-95. (Read full article)
  31. Bonne O, Gill JM, Luckenbaugh DA, Collins C, Owens MJ, Alesci S, Neumeister A, Yuan P, Kinkead B, Manji HK, Charney DS, Vythilingam M (2010). Corticotropin-releasing factor, interleukin-6, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor-1, and substance P in the cerebrospinal fluid of civilians with posttraumatic stress disorder before and after treatment with paroxetine. J Clin Psychiatry, 72(8), 1124-8. (Read full article)
  32. Mathew SJ, Vythilingam M, Murrough JW, Zarate CA Jr, Feder A, Luckenbaugh DA, Kinkead B, Parides MK, Trist DG, Bani MS, Bettica PU, Ratti EM, Charney DS (2010). A selective neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist in chronic PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, proof-of-concept trial. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol, 21(3), 221-9. (Read full article)
  33. Wilson ME, Kinkead B (2007). Gene-environment interactions, not neonatal growth hormone deficiency, time puberty in female rhesus monkeys. Biol Reprod, 78(4), 736-43. (Read full article)
  34. Jarrell H, Hoffman JB, Kaplan JR, Berga S, Kinkead B, Wilson ME (2007). Polymorphisms in the serotonin reuptake transporter gene modify the consequences of social status on metabolic health in female rhesus monkeys. Physiol Behav, 93(4-5), 807-19. (Read full article)
  35. Kinkead B, Yan F, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2007). Endogenous neurotensin is involved in estrous cycle related alterations in prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex in female rats. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 33(2), 178-87. (Read full article)
  36. Carpenter LL, Bayat L, Moreno F, Kling MA, Price LH, Tyrka AR, Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2007). Decreased cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of substance P in treatment-resistant depression and lack of alteration after acute adjunct vagus nerve stimulation therapy. Psychiatry Res, 157(1-3), 123-9. (Read full article)
  37. Hoffman JB, Kaplan JR, Kinkead B, Berga SL, Wilson ME (2007). Metabolic and reproductive consequences of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in adult female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Endocrine, 31(2), 202-11. (Read full article)
  38. Cceda R, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2007). Involvement of neuropeptide systems in schizophrenia: human studies. Int Rev Neurobiol, 78, 327-76. (Read full article)
  39. Shilling PD, Kinkead B, Murray T, Melendez G, Nemeroff CB, Feifel D (2006). Upregulation of striatal dopamine-2 receptors in Brattleboro rats with prepulse inhibition deficits. Biol Psychiatry, 60(11), 1278-81. (Read full article)
  40. Cceda R, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2006). Neurotensin: role in psychiatric and neurological diseases. Peptides, 27(10), 2385-404. (Read full article)
  41. Geracioti TD Jr, Carpenter LL, Owens MJ, Baker DG, Ekhator NN, Horn PS, Strawn JR, Sanacora G, Kinkead B, Price LH, Nemeroff CB (2006). Elevated cerebrospinal fluid substance p concentrations in posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression. Am J Psychiatry, 163(4), 637-43. (Read full article)
  42. Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2006). Novel treatments of schizophrenia: targeting the neurotensin system. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets, 5(2), 205-18. (Read full article)
  43. Garlow SJ, Boone E, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2005). Genetic analysis of the hypothalamic neurotensin system. Neuropsychopharmacology, 31(3), 535-43. (Read full article)
  44. Welberg LA, Kinkead B, Thrivikraman K, Huerkamp MJ, Nemeroff CB, Plotsky PM (2006). Ketamine-xylazine-acepromazine anesthesia and postoperative recovery in rats. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci, 45(2), 13-20. (Read full article)
  45. Kinkead B, Selz KA, Owens MJ, Mandell AJ (2006). Algorithmically designed peptides ameliorate behavioral defects in animal model of ADHD by an allosteric mechanism. J Neurosci Methods, 151(1), 68-81. (Read full article)
  46. Cceda R, Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2005). Virally mediated increased neurotensin 1 receptor in the nucleus accumbens decreases behavioral effects of mesolimbic system activation. J Neurosci, 25(50), 11748-56. (Read full article)
  47. Stowe ZN, Landry JC, Tang Z, Owens MJ, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2005). The electrophysiological effects of neurotensin on spontaneously active neurons in the nucleus accumbens: an in vivo study. Synapse, 58(3), 165-72. (Read full article)
  48. Kinkead B, Dobner PR, Egnatashvili V, Murray T, Deitemeyer N, Nemeroff CB (2005). Neurotensin-deficient mice have deficits in prepulse inhibition: restoration by clozapine but not haloperidol, olanzapine, or quetiapine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 315(1), 256-64. (Read full article)
  49. Binder EB, Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2004). Neurotensin receptor antagonist SR 142948A alters Fos expression and extrapyramidal side effect profile of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs. Neuropsychopharmacology, 29(12), 2200-7. (Read full article)
  50. Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2004). Neurotensin, schizophrenia, and antipsychotic drug action. Int Rev Neurobiol, 59, 327-49. (Read full article)
  51. Mandell AJ, Selz KA, Owens MJ, Kinkead B, Shlesinger MF, Gutman DA, Arguragi V (2003). Cellular and behavioral effects of D2 dopamine receptor hydrophobic eigenmode-targeted peptide ligands. Neuropsychopharmacology, 28 Suppl 1, S98-107. (Read full article)
  52. Cceda R, Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2003). Do neurotensin receptor agonists represent a novel class of antipsychotic drugs? Semin Clin Neuropsychiatry, 8(2), 94-108. (Read full article)
  53. Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (2002). Neurotensin: an endogenous antipsychotic? Curr Opin Pharmacol, 2(1), 99-103. (Read full article)
  54. Nemeroff CB, Kinkead B, Goldstein J (2003). Quetiapine: preclinical studies, pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, and dosing. J Clin Psychiatry, 63 Suppl 13, 5-11. (Read full article)
  55. Binder EB, Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2001). Neurotensin and dopamine interactions. Pharmacol Rev, 53(4), 453-86. (Read full article)
  56. Binder EB, Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2001). The role of neurotensin in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the mechanism of action of antipsychotic drugs. Biol Psychiatry, 50(11), 856-72. (Read full article)
  57. Binder EB, Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Kilts CD, Nemeroff CB (2001). Enhanced neurotensin neurotransmission is involved in the clinically relevant behavioral effects of antipsychotic drugs: evidence from animal models of sensorimotor gating. J Neurosci, 21(2), 601-8. (Read full article)
  58. Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2000). The effects of acute antipsychotic drug administration on the neurotensin system of the developing rat brain. Brain Res Dev Brain Res, 124(1-2), 1-10. (Read full article)
  59. Kinkead B, Shahid S, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2000). Effects of acute and subchronic administration of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs on the neurotensin system of the rat brain. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 295(1), 67-73. (Read full article)
  60. Kinkead B, Lorch SM, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (2000). Sex- and estrous cycle-related differences in the effects of acute antipsychotic drug administration on neurotensin-containing neurons in the rat brain. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 295(1), 205-11. (Read full article)
  61. Kinkead B, Binder EB, Nemeroff CB (1999). Does neurotensin mediate the effects of antipsychotic drugs? Biol Psychiatry, 46(3), 340-51. (Read full article)
  62. Ehlers CL, Somes C, Li TK, Lumeng L, Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (1999). Neurontensin studies in alcohol naive, preferring and non-preferring rats. Neuroscience, 93(1), 227-36. (Read full article)
  63. Kinkead B, Owens MJ, Nemeroff CB (1995). Ontogeny of the effect of antipsychotic drug treatment on neurotensin concentrations in the rat brain. Synapse, 20(3), 244-8. (Read full article)
  64. Kinkead B, Nemeroff CB (1994). The effects of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs on neurotensin-containing neurons in the central nervous system. J Clin Psychiatry, 55 Suppl B, 30-2. (Read full article)
  65. Bissette G, Myers B (1992). Somatostatin in Alzheimer's disease and depression. Life Sci, 51(18), 1389-410. (Read full article)
  66. Nemeroff CB, Levant B, Myers B, Bissette G (1992). Neurotensin, antipsychotic drugs, and schizophrenia. Basic and clinical studies. Ann N Y Acad Sci, 668, 146-56. (Read full article)