Cynthia Munro, PhD
Psychiatry
Geriatric Psychiatry
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty
About Cynthia Munro
Primary Academic Title
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Background
Cynthia A. Munro, Ph.D., ABBP(CN), is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Ohio State University, she earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Kent State University. She completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Pittsburgh’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and then an NIH-sponsored fellowship titled, “Clinical Research Training in Psychiatry,” also at the University of Pittsburgh. She has served on various NIH scientific review committees, and served as a consultant to the DSM-5 neurocognitive disorders workgroup. She currently consults to the National Football League Players’ Association’s dementia care benefit plan (Plan 88) and is an editorial board member of International Psychogeriatrics.
Dr. Munro sees patients through the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center, where she assesses patients with cognitive and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Her overarching goal is to prevent Alzheimer's disease. To this end, her research focuses on discovering novel approaches to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. She is particularly interested in determining why stress can hasten the onset of memory impairment and development of dementia. Although stress cannot be avoided, the way that individuals respond to stress is modifiable. Accordingly, her work focuses on factors (genetic, behavioral, personality, etc.) that influence the physiological response to stress, and importantly, how these factors may differ in men compared to women. She hopes that her work will inform interventions that will delay and even prevent dementia by targeting the way individuals respond to stressful events.
Centers and Institutes
Clinical Trial Keywords
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Clinical Trials Summary
Cognitive Vulnerability to Stress in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease (Stress-AD). This NIH-funded study aims to study stress-related genes as predictors of cognitive impairment following acute stress in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This longitudinal portion will investigate the endocrine stress response and genetic factors as predictors of cognitive decline and blood-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration at 2-year follow-up.
Phase II Trial of CORT108297 to Attenuate the Effects of Acute Stress in the Allocortex (CORT-X). This study is a 2-week, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover Phase II trial of the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (CORT108297) to treat stress-induced memory impairment in individuals who are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Recent News Articles and Media Coverage
Revealed! Here's How You Can Stop Stress in Its Tracks, AARP (April 3, 2023)
Women's Midlife Stress Might Affect Memory, WebMD, (August 20, 2019)
'Stressors' in middle age linked to cognitive decline in older women, ScienceDaily (August 5, 2019)
Alzheimer's in women: Could midlife stress play a role? MedicalNewsToday (August 19, 2019)
Stressors in middle age linked to cognitive decline in older women, HUB Johns Hopkins University (August 6, 2019)
Additional Academic Titles
Associate Professor of Neurology
Research Interests
Cognitive effects of stress, Prevention of Alzheimer's disease
Research Summary
Mechanisms underlying the associations among stress, memory impairment, and dementia. The influence of biological sex on these associations is also an area of focus. Targeting the neuroendocrine stress response to improve memory in individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease is an example of this work.
Selected Publications
Munro CA, Flynn-Longmire C, Drye LT, Martin BK, Frangakis CE, Meinert CL, Mintzer JE, Porsteinsson AP, Rabins PV, Rosenberg PB, Schneider LS, Weintraub D, Lyketsos CG, for the DIADS-2 Research Group. Cognitive outcomes after sertraline treatment in patients with depression of Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2012;20(12):1036-1044
Munro CA, Wennberg AM, Bienko N, Eaton WW, Lyketsos CG, Spira AP. Stressful life events and cognitive decline: Sex differences in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Follow-Up Study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2019;34: 1008-1017. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.5102
Munro CA, Workman C, Kramer E, Hermann C, Ma Y, Dhawan V, Chaly T, Eidelberg D, Smith GS. Serotonin modulation of cerebral glucose metabolism: Sex and age effects. Synapse. 2012; 66(11):955-964. PMID 22836227 PMCID 3440524
Munro CA. Sex differences in Alzheimer’s disease risk: Are we looking at the wrong hormones? Guest Editorial, International Psychogeriatrics, 2014? 26(10):1579¬1584. doi: 10.1017/S1041610214001549
Tao Y, Peters ME, Drye LT, Davangere DP, Mintzer JE, Pollock BG, Porsteinsson AP, Rosenberg PB, Schneider LS, Shade DM, Weintraub D, Yesavage J, Lyketsos CG, Munro CA. Sex differences in the neuropsychiatric symptoms of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, 2018;33 (7): 450-457. doi: 10.1177/1533317518783278 PMCID: PMC6219457
Memberships
- American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology
- International Neuropsychological Society
Additional Training
American Board of Professional Psychology / Clinical Neuropsychology
Expertise
Education
Kent State University
Graduate School, Clinical Psychology, PhD, 1997Board Certifications
Clinical Neuropsychology
American Board of Professional Psychology, 2012Insurance
- Aetna
- CareFirst
- Cigna
- First Health
- Geisinger Health Plan
- HealthSmart/Accel
- Humana
- Johns Hopkins Health Plans
- MultiPlan
- Pennsylvania's Preferred Health Networks (PPHN)
- Point Comfort Underwriters
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- UnitedHealthcare
- Veteran Affairs Community Care Network (Optum-VACCN)