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Stewart H. Mostofsky

Stewart H. Mostofsky, MD

Johns Hopkins Affiliations:
  • Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty

Languages

  • English

Gender

Male

About Stewart H. Mostofsky

Professional Titles

  • Director, Laboratory for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research
  • Research Scientist

Primary Academic Title

Professor of Neurology

Background

Dr. Mostofsky received his medical degree in 1990 through the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute-Albany Medical College six-year program, where he won the Jack Spitalny Prize for exceptional achievement in pediatrics. He went on to an internship and residencies in pediatrics and pediatric neurology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Mostofsky first came to Kennedy Krieger Institute in 1995 for a fellowship in the Department of Developmental Cognitive Neurology, and stayed on as a pediatric neurologist, with subspecialty training and experience in behavioral neurology as it applies to the study of childhood developmental disorders. Dr. Mostofsky is the director of Kennedy Krieger Institute's Laboratory for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research (LNIR), which focuses on understanding the neurological basis of developmental disorders, including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Dr. Mostofsky’s clinical practice focuses on serving children in the autism spectrum and he serves as the medical director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) at Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the Child Neurology Society, the International Neuropsychological Society, the Society for Cognitive Neuroscience, the Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology and the Organization for Human Brain Mapping.

Additional Academic Titles

Joint Appointment in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Research Summary

In the Laboratory for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research (LNIR), Dr. Mostofsky investigates the biological bases of developmental disorders using both structural and functional imaging techniques and experimental neurobehavioral paradigms, including motor/oculomotor and cognitive testing. These methods are used to improve our understanding of the neurologic basis of autism and ADHD. This work has been supported by grants from the NIH (NINDS and NIMH) and the Autism Speaks Foundation.

Dr. Mostofsky’s research with children with autism is focused on careful examination of the motor function, as increased insight into the brain mechanisms underlying the disorder might be gained from careful consideration of the motor signs associated with autism. Dr. Mostofsky has made important contributions to identifying the common factors underlying motor impairments in autism and has begun to understand how anomalous patterns of motor learning in autism may contribute to the impaired social and communicative deficits that define the disorder.

Dr. Mostofsky is also working to pinpoint the neural systems affected in ADHD and to help identify mechanisms for effective therapeutic intervention. This investigative work has led to important insights into how impairments in response selection and control (of behavior ranging from basic motor execution to higher level cognition) contribute to the excessive impulsive, hyperactive, and off-task ("distractible") behavior.

Selected Publications

Memberships

  • American Academy of Neurology

Additional Training

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, 1995, Child Neurology

Expertise

Education

Albany Medical College - Albany

M.D., 1990

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

B.S., 1986