About

Christopher M. Gomez MD PhD is a professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Neurology. He has worked in the field of genetic disorders of the neuromuscular junction, such as congenital myasthenic syndromes, and cerebellum for more than 25 years. His long-term goals include characterizing the pathogenic mechanisms that cause ataxia, developing treatments, and identifying disease- and stage-specific biomarkers of ataxia. Dr. Gomez is an expert in neurogenetic disorders, gait and balance disorders, and in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with ataxias, a family of rare neurodegenerative diseases. Since 1991, he has served on the medical and research advisory board of the National Ataxia Foundation and has held leadership roles such as past chair of the Neurogenetics Section of the American Academy of Neurology. His laboratory research concentrates on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, especially how genetic mutations in ion channels or other essential proteins lead to inherited neurodegenerative conditions. He established The University of Chicago Ataxia Center in 2006, which focuses on diagnosis, treatment, and research related to ataxias. Dr. Gomez has over 20 years of experience in evaluating and treating patients with degenerative ataxia and is a founding member of the Cooperative Ataxia Group, a national consortium that launched the first rating scale and natural history studies for Friedreich’s Ataxia. His research has contributed to the characterization of various ataxia types, including spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6), episodic ataxia type 2, and SCA26, and he studies disease mechanisms and biomarkers related to these conditions.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Psychiatry
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Anxiety and Depression in Autistic College Students: The Freshman Survey Results

  Cureus · 2023 · 9 citations

  • Medicine
  • Clinical psychology
  • Psychiatry

  Objective Mental health among undergraduate students is a growing concern in higher education, but relatively little is known about the mental health of autistic college students. In order to better understand the unique needs of this population, the present study examines whether demographic and psychosocial correlates of anxiety and depression differ in autistic first-year college students and their non-autistic peers. Methods Secondary data analysis was conducted utilizing population-weighted data of full-time college students in their first year attending four-year colleges and universities in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Autistic and non-autistic students who self-identified as having frequent anxiety or depression were compared in terms of demographic characteristics, physical and emotional health, and academic aspirations and achievement. Results The majority of first-year students with frequent anxiety or depression in this sample tended to be white and had parents who completed a bachelor's degree or went to graduate school, with higher rates of male students in the autistic group. While autistic college freshmen with frequent anxiety or depression self-report lower overall quality of physical health (below average or lowest 10% reported by 57.3% vs. 37.1%) and higher rates of learning disabilities (25.3% vs. 4.6%) and psychological disorders (62.3% vs. 29.3%), these students also tend to outperform their non-autistic peers on standardized academic testing. Conclusion As autistic students are investing in themselves through their education and future careers, practitioners and researchers alike should be investing in accessible physical and mental health services in order to help set autistic students up for success in college and beyond.

  DOI

• Prevalence of <i>RFC1</i> -mediated spinocerebellar ataxia in a North American ataxia cohort

  Neurology Genetics · 2020 · 56 citations

  • Medicine
  • Physical medicine and rehabilitation
  • Pediatrics

  OBJECTIVE: in an undiagnosed ataxia cohort from North America. METHODS: , resulting in a combined 911 subjects tested. RESULTS: gene (spinocerebellar ataxia type 37). CONCLUSIONS: was observed in 3.2%. Testing should be strongly considered in patients with ataxia, especially those with CANVAS or neuropathy.

  DOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01NS037211

  NIH · $1.0M · 2004

Frequent coauthors

• Lindsay Shea

  9 shared

• Kashia A. Rosenau

  9 shared

• Alice A. Kuo

  University of California, Los Angeles

  9 shared

• Emily Hotez

  9 shared

• Kevin Eagan

  Drexel University

  9 shared

• Priyanka Fernandes

  University of California, Los Angeles

  9 shared

• Sheng‐Han Kuo

  Columbia University

  2 shared

• Jeremy D. Schmahmann

  2 shared

Labs

• Gomez LaboratoryPI

Awards & honors

• Long-term advisory role at the National Ataxia Foundation si…
• Past chair of the Neurogenetics Section of the American Acad…
• Established The University of Chicago Ataxia Center in 2006
• Founding member of the Cooperative Ataxia Group
• Member (UC site) of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Netwo…

Similar researchers at University of Chicago

• Everett E. Vokesh-185
• Ian Fosterh-150
• Jack W. Szostakh-142
• Jean Decetyh-142
• Graeme Bellh-141