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David Lewis Perez, M.D.

Title
Institution
Department
Address
Other Positions
Title
Institution
Department

Biography
education and training
Columbia UniversityBA05/2003Neuroscience & Behavior
New York University School of MedicineMD05/2007Medicine
MGH/BWH Partners Neurology Residency06/2011Neurology
BIDMC/BWH Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency06/2014Psychiatry - Research Concentration
Harvard Medical SchoolMMSc05/2016Clinical & Translational Investigation
awards and honors
2003
Cum Laude, Columbia University
2007
Alpha Omega Alpha, New York University School of Medicine
2012
Outstanding Psychiatry Resident Teacher, Harvard Medical School
2012
Young Investigator Award, American Neuropsychiatric Association (ANPA)
2013
Joseph J. Schildraut Psychiatry Research Award
2013
Partners in Excellence Team Award - Spanish Neurology Program
2014
Career Development Award, American Neuropsychiatric Association (ANPA)
2016
MGH ECOR Clinician-Scientist Career Development Award
2018
Diplomate - UCNS Behavioral Neurology-Neuropsychiatry
2021
Fellow - American Academy of Neurology (FAAN)
2022
Fellow - American Neuropsychiatric Association (FANPA)
2023 - 2024
Co-President, Boston Society of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry (BSNNP)
2023 - 2025
President, Society for Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology (SBCN)
2023 - 2025
Chair, AAN Section of Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry
2024
Fellow - American Psychiatric Association (FAPA)
2024
Fellow - American Neurological Association (FANA)

Overview
overview
David L. Perez MD, MMSc, FAAN, FANPA, FAPA is board certified in Neurology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry, and is a full time faculty member in the Massachusetts General Hospital Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Dr. Perez is the Chief of the Division of Behavioral Neurology & Integrated Brain Medicine. He is also the Founding Director of the multidisciplinary Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) Unit and FND Research Group. Dr. Perez has published over 100 peer reviewed articles - the majority in the fields functional neurological disorder, brain imaging research, and behavioral neurology & neuropsychiatry. He has co-edited several special issues on functional neurological disorder and a 32-chapter Springer Functional Movement Disorder textbook.

Dr. Perez is affiliated with the MGH/HST Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, and is also a member Neuropsychiatry Division at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
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Research
research activities and funding
The research activities and funding listed below are automatically derived from NIH ExPORTER and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing items. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
Most Recent  |  List All
  1. R01MH125802 (PEREZ, DAVID LEWIS) Apr 1, 2021 - Mar 31, 2026
    NIH
    Defining Neurobiological Subtypes of Motor Functional Neurological Disorder
    Role: Principal Investigator
  2. K23MH111983 (PEREZ, DAVID LEWIS) Sep 14, 2017 - Aug 31, 2022
    NIH
    Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Symptom Severity, Adverse Life Events and Prognosis in Motor Functional Neurological Disorders
    Role: Principal Investigator
  3. R25NS065743 (PEREZ, DAVID LEWIS) Jul 1, 2013 - Jun 30, 2015
    NIH
    Functional and Structural Biomarkers of Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures
    Role: Principal Investigator

Featured Content
Featured Videos
  • Using the Neuroscience of FND to Contextualize Clinical Observations
  • FND Unit & Research Group March 2023 Webinar
  • FND: Bridging Physical & Mental Health
  • BMJ 2022: How to explain the diagnosis of FND
  • BMJ 2022: Triaging treatment recommendations in FND
  • MGH FND Clinic: Testimonial 1
  • MGH FND Clinic: Testimonial 2
  • FND Unit 2021 - Part 1
  • FND Unit 2021 - Part 2
Twitter

Bibliographic
selected publications
Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
Displaying 25 of 162 total Publications Show all
  1. Westlin C, Keshavan MS, Perez DL. Neuroscience in pictures: Functional neurological disorder. Asian J Psychiatr. 2025 Mar 15; 106:104449. PMID: 40112580.
    Citations:
  2. Cabreira V, Alty J, Antic S, Araujo R, Aybek S, Ball HA, Baslet G, Bhome R, Coebergh J, Dubois B, Edwards M, Filipovic SR, Frederiksen KS, Harbo T, Hayhow B, Howard R, Huntley J, Isaacs JD, LaFrance C, Larner A, Di Lorenzo F, Main J, Mallam E, Marra C, Massano J, McGrath ER, Portela Moreira I, Nobili F, Pal S, Pennington CM, Tábuas-Pereira M, Perez D, Popkirov S, Rayment D, Rossor M, Russo M, Santana I, Schott J, Scott EP, Taipa R, Teodoro T, Tinazzi M, Tomic S, Toniolo S, Tørring CW, Wilkinson T, Zeidler M, Frostholm L, McWhirter L, Stone J, Carson A. Development of a diagnostic checklist to identify functional cognitive disorder versus other neurocognitive disorders. BMJ Neurol Open. 2025; 7(1):e000918. PMID: 40034653.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 22
  3. Stephen CD, Fung V, Perez DL, Espay AJ. Comparison of Inpatient and Emergency Department Costs to Research Funding for Functional Neurologic Disorder: An Economic Analysis. Neurology. 2025 Mar 25; 104(6):e213445. PMID: 39999398.
    Citations:
  4. Dimitrova LI, Chalavi S, Vissia EM, Barker GJ, Perez DL, Veltman DJ, Diez I, Reinders AATS. Brain white matter structural connectivity of trauma and trauma-related dissociation disorders and symptoms. Psychiatry Res. 2025 Jan 31; 346:116383. PMID: 39921931.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 5
  5. Madva EN, Perez DL. Ferri’s Clinical Advisor. Functional Neurological Disorder. 2025.
  6. Sojka P, Serranová T, Khalsa SS, Perez DL, Diez I. Altered Neural Processing of Interoception in Patients With Functional Neurological Disorder: A Task-Based fMRI Study. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2024 Nov 19; appineuropsych20240070. PMID: 39558709.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 34
    Fields: NeuNeurologyPsyPsychiatry
  7. Rioux M, Mamman R, Byworth MT, Panenka WJ, Howard AK, Perez DL, Schmidt J, Courchesne C, LeMoult J, Heran MK, Silverberg ND. Pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial of cognitive-behavioural therapy for functional cognitive disorder after concussion. BMJ Neurol Open. 2024; 6(2):e000666. PMID: 39410977; PMCID: PMC11474702.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 7
  8. Westlin C, Guthrie AJ, Paredes-Echeverri S, Maggio J, Finkelstein S, Godena E, Millstein D, MacLean J, Ranford J, Freeburn J, Adams C, Stephen C, Diez I, Perez DL. Machine learning classification of functional neurological disorder using structural brain MRI features. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2024 Jul 20. PMID: 39033019; PMCID: PMC11743827.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 58
    Fields: NeuNeurologyNeuNeurosurgeryPsyPsychiatry
  9. Bateman JR, Josephy-Hernandez S, Apostolova LG, Benjamin S, Barrett AM, Boeve BF, Budson AE, Chemali Z, Lin CR, Daffner KR, Geschwind MD, Heilman KM, Hillis AE, Holden SK, Jaffee MS, Kletenik I, Love MN, Moo LR, Pelak VS, Press DZ, Ramirez-Gomez L, Rosen HJ, Schmahmann JD, Vaishnavi SN, Windon CC, Hamilton RH, Perez DL. Promoting Growth in Behavioral Neurology: A Path Forward. Cogn Behav Neurol. 2024 Jun 01; 37(2):49-56. PMID: 38717325.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 14
    Fields: NeuNeurologyPsyPsychiatryPsyPsychologyTranslation:Humans
  10. Jungilligens J, Perez DL. Predictive Processing and the Pathophysiology of Functional Neurological Disorder. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2024 May 17. PMID: 38755514.
    Citations: 1
    Fields: BehBehavioral SciencesNeuNeurology
  11. Guthrie AJ, Paredes-Echeverri S, Bleier C, Adams C, Millstein DJ, Ranford J, Perez DL. Mechanistic studies in pathological health anxiety: A systematic review and emerging conceptual framework. J Affect Disord. 2024 Aug 01; 358:222-249. PMID: 38718945; PMCID: PMC11298870.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 5
    Fields: PsyPsychiatryTranslation:Humans
  12. Cabreira V, Alty J, Antic S, Araújo R, Aybek S, Ball HA, Baslet G, Bhome R, Coebergh J, Dubois B, Edwards M, Filipovic SR, Frederiksen KS, Harbo T, Hayhow B, Howard R, Huntley J, Isaacs J, LaFrance WC, Larner AJ, Di Lorenzo F, Main J, Mallam E, Marra C, Massano J, McGrath ER, McWhirter L, Moreira IP, Nobili F, Pennington C, Tábuas-Pereira M, Perez DL, Popkirov S, Rayment D, Rossor M, Russo M, Santana I, Schott J, Scott EP, Taipa R, Tinazzi M, Tomic S, Toniolo S, Tørring CW, Wilkinson T, Frostholm L, Stone J, Carson A. Perspectives on the diagnosis and management of functional cognitive disorder: An international Delphi study. Eur J Neurol. 2025 Jan; 32(1):e16318. PMID: 38700361; PMCID: PMC11617961.
    Citations: 2 Article has an altmetric score of 64
    Fields: NeuNeurologyTranslation:Humans
  13. Hawkes C, Dale RC, Scher S, Cornish JL, Perez DL, Santoro JD, Fernandes S, Kozlowska K. Bridging the Divide: An Integrated Neurobio-Psycho-Social Approach to Treating Antibody Negative Inflammatory Encephalitis in a School-Aged Child. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2024 May-Jun 01; 32(3):101-116. PMID: 38728570.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 6
    Fields: PsyPsychiatryTranslation:Humans
  14. McCombs KE, MacLean J, Finkelstein SA, Goedeken S, Perez DL, Ranford J. Sensory Processing Difficulties and Occupational Therapy Outcomes for Functional Neurological Disorder: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Neurol Clin Pract. 2024 Jun; 14(3):e200286. PMID: 38617553; PMCID: PMC11014645.
    Citations: 1
  15. Cumming D, Baig M, Perez DL. A Tremor Classification Primer for the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry. 2024 May-Jun; 65(3):319-321. PMID: 38548228.
    Citations:
    Fields: PsyPsychiatryTranslation:Humans
  16. Rivas-Grajales AM, Millstein DJ, Perez DL. Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences. Functional Cognitive Disorder. 2024.
  17. Burke MJ, Cappon D, Perez DL, Pascual-Leone A, Santarnecchi E. Harnessing Placebo Effects for the Treatment of Functional Cognitive Disorder: A Feasibility Pilot Study. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2024; 36(3):214-219. PMID: 38343313.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 13
    Fields: NeuNeurologyPsyPsychiatryTranslation:Humans
  18. Perez DL, Nicholson TR, Asadi-Pooya AA, Butler M, Carson AJ, David AS, Deeley Q, Diez I, Edwards MJ, Espay AJ, Gelauff JM, Jungilligens J, Hallett M, Kanaan RAA, Tijssen MAJ, Kozlowska K, LaFrance WC, Marapin RS, Maurer CW, Reinders AATS, Sojka P, Staab JP, Stone J, Szaflarski JP, Aybek S. Response to the Letter Concerning the Publication: Neuroimaging in Functional Neurological Disorder: State of the Field and Research Agenda. Perez DL et al. Neuroimage Clin. 2021;30:102623. Neuroimage Clin. 2024; 41:103573. PMID: 38309187; PMCID: PMC10847796.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 12
    Fields: DiaDiagnostic ImagingNeuNeurologyTranslation:Humans
  19. Perez DL. Doubling Down on Combined Neurology-Psychiatry Residency Training and Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry Fellowship Training. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2024; 36(1):78-79. PMID: 38226911.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 8
    Fields: NeuNeurologyPsyPsychiatryTranslation:Humans
  20. Madva EN, Perez DL. Ferri’s Clinical Advisor 2024. Functional Neurological Disorder. 2024.
  21. Tanev KS, Camprodon JA, Caplan DN, Dickerson BC, Chemali Z, Eldaief MC, Kim DD, Josephy-Hernandez SE, Kritzer MD, Moo LR, Newhouse A, Perez DL, Ramirez Gomez LA, Razafsha M, Rivas-Grajales AM, Scharf JM, Schmahmann JD, Sherman JC. Telemedicine-Based Cognitive Examinations During COVID-19 and Beyond: Perspective of the Massachusetts General Hospital Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry Group. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2024; 36(2):87-100. PMID: 38111331.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 17
    Fields: NeuNeurologyPsyPsychiatryTranslation:HumansPHPublic Health
  22. Stanley MPH, Silbersweig DA, Perez DL. Toward a Unified Classification System for Brain-Mind Disorders: Putting Calls for Integrated Clinical Neuroscience Into Action. Cogn Behav Neurol. 2023 12 01; 36(4):199-201. PMID: 37724742.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 10
    Fields: NeuNeurologyPsyPsychiatryPsyPsychologyTranslation:Humans
  23. Maggio J, Adams C, Perez DL. Creating a "Brain-Mind-Body Interface Disorders" Diagnostic Category Across Specialties. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2024; 36(2):172-174. PMID: 37849314.
    Citations: 2 Article has an altmetric score of 19
    Fields: NeuNeurologyPsyPsychiatryTranslation:Humans
  24. Calma AD, Heffernan J, Farrell N, Gelauff J, O'Connell N, Perez DL, Perriman D, Smyth L, Stone J, Lueck CJ. The Impact of Depression, Anxiety and Personality Disorders on the Outcome of Patients with Functional Limb Weakness - Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. J Psychosom Res. 2023 12; 175:111513. PMID: 37832273.
    Citations: Article has an altmetric score of 33
    Fields: PsyPsychiatryTranslation:Humans
  25. Lerario MP, Fusunyan M, Stave CD, Roldán V, Keuroghlian AS, Turban J, Perez DL, Maschi T, Rosendale N. Functional neurological disorder and functional somatic syndromes among sexual and gender minority people: A scoping review. J Psychosom Res. 2023 11; 174:111491. PMID: 37802674.
    Citations: 2 Article has an altmetric score of 10
    Fields: PsyPsychiatry
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Funded by the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through its Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program, grant number UL1TR002541.