Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
To see if Tyler Andrew Lesh is accepting new patients, or for assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Dr. Lesh believes that all clients can be supported to make meaningful gains in wellness and recovery. He also believes wholeheartedly that knowledge is power and uses a collaborative style to help clients and family/social support persons understand how cutting-edge research on mental illness, particularly psychotic disorders, relates to the client.
Dr. Lesh is a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the UC Davis Department of Psychiatry. He has a special clinical interest in neuropsychological assessment as well as the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with psychotic disorders.
Dr. Lesh's research uses a variety of neuroimaging tools (fMRI, DTI, structural MRI) to better understand how cannabis use, immune system perturbation, and other factors play a role in the neurobiology and course of psychotic disorders. He also has an interest in exploring the impact of these factors on cognitive function in individuals with psychotic disorders. Dr. Lesh receives funding from the State of California Department of Cannabis Control and National Institutes of Mental Health.
Clinical Psychologist
B.S., Psychobiology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 2003
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA 2009
Clinical Psychology Pre-Doctoral Internship, University of California, San Diego Medical Center, San Diego CA 2008-2009
Clinical Psychology Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento CA 2009-2012
International Congress on Schizophrenia Research Travel Recipient, 2015
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Recipient, 2006
Guo JY, Lesh TA, Niendam TA, Ragland JD, Tully LM, Carter CS. Brain free water alterations in first-episode psychosis: a longitudinal analysis of diagnosis, course of illness, and medication effects. Psychol Med. 2020 Jan 8; 1-10. PMID: 31910929.
Lesh TA, Maddock RJ, Howell A, Wang H, Tanase C, Ragland JD, Niendam TA, Carter CS. Extracellular Free Water and Glutathione in First Episode Psychosis – A Multi-modal Investigation of an Inflammatory Model for Psychosis. Molecular Psychiatry. 2019 May 28; PMID: 31138893
Smucny J, Lesh TA, Newton K, Niendam TA, Ragland JD, Carter CS. Levels of Cognitive Control: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Test of an RDoC Domain Across Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2018; 43(3):598-606. PMID: 28948978 PMCID: PMC5770769
Lesh TA, Careaga M, Rose DR, McAllister AK, Van de Water J, Carter CS, Ashwood P. Cytokine alterations in first-episode schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: relationships to brain structure and symptoms. J Neuroinflammation. 2018; 15(1):165. PMID: 29803226 PMCID: PMC5970482
Lesh TA, Tanase C, Niendam, TA, Yoon, JH, Minzenberg MJ, Ragland JD, Solomon M, Carter CS. A multimodal analysis of antipsychotic effects on brain structure and function in first episode schizophrenia. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015; 72 (3), 226-234. PMID: 25588194 PMCID: PMC4794273
Lesh TA, Westphal AJ, Niendam TA, Yoon JH, Minzenberg MJ, Ragland JD, Solomon M, Carter CS. Proactive and reactive cognitive control and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex dysfunction in first episode schizophrenia. Neuroimage: Clinical. 2013; 2(0):590-9. PMID: 24179809 PMCID: PMC3777717
Lesh TA, Niendam TA, Minzenberg MJ, Carter CS. Cognitive Control Deficits in Schizophrenia: Mechanisms and Meaning. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2011; 36(1):316-38. PMID: 20844478 PMCID: PMC3052853