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Photo of  David E. Fleck, PhD

David E. Fleck, PhD

Research Professor

Psychiatry & Behavioral Neuroscience | College of Medicine

Education/Credentials
  • Post-Doctoral Fellowship: University of Cincinnati (Psychiatry)
  • Doctoral Degree: University of Cincinnati (Neuropsychology)
  • Bachelor's Degree: Cleveland State University
  • Master's Degree: Cleveland State University
Contact Information
Research Interests

Dr. Fleck's primary research interests include the neuropsychology of attention and memory; cognitive and physiological consequences of psychopathology and neuropathology; and cultural differences in the course and treatment of bipolar disorder.

He has received support for his research efforts from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD), AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and the University of Cincinnati Research ...

Peer Reviewed Publications

Gara, Michael A; Vega, William A; Lesser, Ira; Escamilla, Michael; Lawson, William B; Wilson, Daniel R; Fleck, David E; Strakowski, Stephen M 2010. The role of complex emotions in inconsistent diagnoses of schizophrenia. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 198 9, 609-13

Strakowski, Stephen M; Fleck, David E; DelBello, Melissa P; Adler, Caleb M; Shear, Paula K; Kotwal, Renu; Arndt, Stephan 2010. Impulsivity across the course of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorders, 12 3, 285-97

Strawn, Jeffrey R; Adler, Caleb M; Fleck, David E; Hanseman, Dennis; Maue, Danielle K; Bitter, Samantha; Kraft, Elizabeth M; Geracioti, Thomas D; Strakowski, Stephen M; DelBello, Melissa P 2010. Post-traumatic stress symptoms and trauma exposure in youth with first episode bipolar disorder. Early intervention in psychiatry, 4 2, 169-73

Singh, Manpreet K; DelBello, Melissa P; Fleck, David E; Shear, Paula K; Strakowski, Stephen M 2009. Inhibition and attention in adolescents with nonmanic mood disorders and a high risk for developing mania. Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology, 31 1, 1-7

Strakowski, Stephen M; Fleck, David E; DelBello, Melissa P; Adler, Caleb M; Shear, Paula K; McElroy, Susan L; Keck, Paul E; Moss, Quinton; Cerullo, Michael A; Kotwal, Renu; Arndt, Stephan 2009. Characterizing impulsivity in mania. Bipolar disorders, 11 1, 41-51

Fleck, David E; Nandagopal, Jayasree; Cerullo, Michael A; Eliassen, James C; DelBello, Melissa P; Adler, Caleb M; Strakowski, Stephen M 2008. Morphometric magnetic resonance imaging in psychiatry. Topics in magnetic resonance imaging : TMRI, 19 2, 131-42

Fleck, David E; Shear, Paula K; Madore, Michelle; Strakowski, Stephen M 2008. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance in bipolar disorder: effects of mood state and early course. Bipolar disorders, 10 4, 539-45

Heffner, Jaimee L; DelBello, Melissa P; Fleck, David E; Anthenelli, Robert M; Strakowski, Stephen M 2008. Cigarette smoking in the early course of bipolar disorder: association with ages-at-onset of alcohol and marijuana use. Bipolar disorders, 10 7, 838-45

Strakowski, Stephen M; Adler, Caleb M; Cerullo, Michael A; Eliassen, James C; Lamy, Martine; Fleck, David E; Lee, Jing-Huei; Delbello, Melissa P 2008. MRI brain activation in first-episode bipolar mania during a response inhibition task. Early intervention in psychiatry, 2 4, 225-233

Adler, Caleb M; Fleck, David E; Brecher, Martin; Strakowski, Stephen M 2007. Safety and tolerability of quetiapine in the treatment of acute mania in bipolar disorder. Journal of affective disorders, 100 Suppl 1 , S15-22

Barzman, Drew H; DelBello, Melissa P; Fleck, David E; Lehmkuhl, Heather; Strakowski, Stephen M 2007. Rates, types, and psychosocial correlates of legal charges in adolescents with newly diagnosed bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorders, 9 4, 339-44

DelBello, Melissa P; Hanseman, Dennis; Adler, Caleb M; Fleck, David E; Strakowski, Stephen M 2007. Twelve-month outcome of adolescents with bipolar disorder following first hospitalization for a manic or mixed episode. The American journal of psychiatry, 164 4, 582-90

Strakowski, Stephen M; DelBello, Melissa P; Fleck, David E; Adler, Caleb M; Anthenelli, Robert M; Keck, Paul E; Arnold, Lesley M; Amicone, Jennifer 2007. Effects of co-occurring cannabis use disorders on the course of bipolar disorder after a first hospitalization for mania. Archives of general psychiatry, 64 1, 57-64

Strakowski, Stephen M; Tsai, Shang-Ying; Delbello, Melissa P; Chen, Chiao-Chicy; Fleck, David E; Adler, Caleb M; Arndt, Stephan; Amicone, Jennifer 2007. Outcome following a first manic episode: cross-national US and Taiwan comparison. Bipolar disorders, 9 8, 820-7

Fleck, David E; Arndt, Stephan; DelBello, Melissa P; Strakowski, Stephen M 2006. Concurrent tracking of alcohol use and bipolar disorder symptoms. Bipolar disorders, 8 4, 338-44

Moss, Q; Fleck, D E; Strakowski, S M 2006. The influence of religious affiliation on time to first treatment and hospitalization. Schizophrenia research, 84 2-3, 421-6

Fleck, David E; Keck, Paul E; Corey, Kimberly B; Strakowski, Stephen M 2005. Factors associated with medication adherence in African American and white patients with bipolar disorder. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 66 5, 646-52

Fleck, David E; Shear, Paula K; Strakowski, Stephen M 2005. Processing efficiency and directed forgetting in bipolar disorder. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS, 11 7, 871-80

Fleck, David E; Shear, Paula K; Strakowski, Stephen M 2005. Processing efficiency and sustained attention in bipolar disorder. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS, 11 1, 49-57

Strakowski, Stephen M; DelBello, Melissa P; Fleck, David E; Adler, Caleb M; Anthenelli, Robert M; Keck, Paul E; Arnold, Lesley M; Amicone, Jennifer 2005. Effects of co-occurring alcohol abuse on the course of bipolar disorder following a first hospitalization for mania. Archives of general psychiatry, 62 8, 851-8

Arnold, Lesley M; Keck, Paul E; Collins, Jacqueline; Wilson, Rodgers; Fleck, David E; Corey, Kimberly B; Amicone, Jennifer; Adebimpe, Victor R; Strakowski, Stephen M 2004. Ethnicity and first-rank symptoms in patients with psychosis. Schizophrenia research, 67 2-3, 207-12

Arnold, Lesley M; Strakowski, Stephen M; Schwiers, Michael L; Amicone, Jennifer; Fleck, David E; Corey, Kimberly B; Farrow, Jenni E 2004. Sex, ethnicity, and antipsychotic medication use in patients with psychosis. Schizophrenia research, 66 2-3, 169-75

Barzman, Drew H; DelBello, Melissa P; Kowatch, Robert A; Gernert, Beth; Fleck, David E; Pathak, Sanjeev; Rappaport, Katherine; Delgado, Sergio V; Campbell, Pamela; Strakowski, Stephen M 2004. The effectiveness and tolerability of aripiprazole for pediatric bipolar disorders: a retrospective chart review. Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology, 14 4, 593-600

Fleck, David E; DelBello, Melissa P; Zimmerman, Molly E; Getz, Glen E; Shear, Paula K; Strakowski, Stephen M 2004. Selective attention in schizoaffective disorder: pilot data. Schizophrenia research, 68 1, 109-10

Krikorian, Robert; Zimmerman, Molly E; Fleck, David E 2004. Inhibitory control in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Brain and cognition, 54 3, 257-9

Fleck, David E; Shear, Paula K; Zimmerman, Molly E; Getz, Glen E; Corey, Kimberly B; Jak, Amy; Lebowitz, Brian K; Strakowski, Stephen M 2003. Verbal memory in mania: effects of clinical state and task requirements. Bipolar disorders, 5 5, 375-80

Strakowski, Stephen M; Keck, Paul E; Arnold, Lesley M; Collins, Jacqueline; Wilson, Rodgers M; Fleck, David E; Corey, Kimberly B; Amicone, Jennifer; Adebimpe, Victor R 2003. Ethnicity and diagnosis in patients with affective disorders. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 64 7, 747-54

Fleck, David E; Hendricks, Wendi L; DelBello, Melissa P; Strakowski, Stephen M 2002. Differential prescription of maintenance antipsychotics to African American and white patients with new-onset bipolar disorder. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 63 8, 658-64

Fleck, David E; Shear, Paula K; Strakowski, Stephen M 2002. A reevaluation of sustained attention performance in temporal lobe epilepsy. Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists, 17 4, 399-405

Getz, Glen E; DelBello, Melissa P; Fleck, David E; Zimmerman, Molly E; Schwiers, Michael L; Strakowski, Stephen M 2002. Neuroanatomic characterization of schizoaffective disorder using MRI: a pilot study. Schizophrenia research, 55 1-2, 55-9

Fleck, D E; Corey, K B; Strakowski, S M 2001. Symptom dimensions in acutely ill patients with affective, schizoaffective, and schizophrenic disorders. Schizophrenia research, 50 1-2, 131-2

Fleck, D E; Sax, K W; Strakowski, S M 2001. Reaction time measures of sustained attention differentiate bipolar disorder from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia research, 52 3, 251-9

Getz, G E; Fleck, D E; Strakowski, S M 2001. Frequency and severity of religious delusions in Christian patients with psychosis. Psychiatry research, 103 1, 87-91

Wilder-Willis, K E; Sax, K W; Rosenberg, H L; Fleck, D E; Shear, P K; Strakowski, S M 2001. Persistent attentional dysfunction in remitted bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorders, 3 2, 58-62

Strakowski, S M; DelBello, M P; Fleck, D E; Arndt, S 2000. The impact of substance abuse on the course of bipolar disorder. Biological psychiatry, 48 6, 477-85

Strakowski, S M; Williams, J R; Sax, K W; Fleck, D E; DelBello, M P; Bourne, M L 2000. Is impaired outcome following a first manic episode due to mood-incongruent psychosis? Journal of affective disorders, 61 1-2, 87-94

Fleck, D E; Berch, D B; Shear, P K; Schefft, B K; Privitera, M D; Strakowski, S M 1999. Directed forgetting deficits in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy: an information processing perspective. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS, 5 6, 549-55

Strakowski, S M; Williams, J R; Fleck, D E; Delbello, M P . Eight-month functional outcome from mania following a first psychiatric hospitalization. Journal of psychiatric research, 34 3, 193-200

Abstract Publications

Cerullo, M.A., Eliassen, J.C., Fleck, D.E., Adler, C.M., DelBello, M.P., & Strakowski, S.M. 2009. The utility of using subjects with unipolar depression as comparison subjects in fMRI studies of bipolar disorder Journal of Investigative Medicine, 57 , 535


Fleck, D.E., Kotwal, R., Eliassen, J.C., Lamy, M., Delbello, M.P., Adler, C.M., Durling, M., Cerullo, M.A., & Strakowski, S.M. 2009. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of motor impulsivity in bipolar depression Journal of Investigative Medicine, 57 , 538


Fleck, D.E., Eliassen, J.C., Adler, C.M., DelBello, M.P., Shear, P.K., Durling, M., Cerullo, M.A., Lamy, M., & Strakowski, S.M. 2008. The neurophysiological correlates of sustained attention in bipolar mania Journal of Investigative Medicine, 56 , 628


Fleck, D.E., Eliassen, J.C., Durling, M., Adams, J., Lamy, M., Williams, K., & Strakowski, S.M. 2007. Manic distractibility and frontosubcortical processing Journal of Investigative Medicine, 55 , S354


Fleck, D.E., Shear, P.K., Kowatch, R.A., & Strakowski, S.M. 2006. Cognitive performance in bipolar disorder: A processing efficiency account Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 12 ,


Fleck, D.E., Shear, P.K., Kowatch, R.A., & Strakowski, S.M. 2005. Cognitive performance in bipolar disorder: A processing efficiency account Neuropsychopharamacology, 30 Suppl. 1, S111


Burciaga, J., Madore, M.R., Hall, J., Fleck, D.E., Shear, P.K., & Strakowski, S.M. 02-2008. Psychomotor deficits in patients with bipolar disorder Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, ,