Scott Mackin

Scott Mackin, PhD is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. His research focuses on the intersection of geriatric psychiatry, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroimaging, with particular expertise in late-life depression and its relationship to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative processes.

Dr. Mackin's research interests span multiple domains within geriatric mental health and cognitive neuroscience. He investigates the neural mechanisms underlying late-life depression, examining how structural and functional brain changes relate to cognitive impairment and treatment response. His work also explores the relationship between depression and Alzheimer's disease pathology, particularly how depressive symptoms may interact with β-amyloid and tau pathology in older adults. Additionally, Dr. Mackin has made significant contributions to understanding hoarding disorder in later life, examining its cognitive and functional correlates. His research employs multimodal approaches including neuroimaging, neuropsychological assessment, and large-scale longitudinal studies.

Analysis of Dr. Mackin's recent publications reveals a strong focus on translational research connecting basic neuroscience with clinical applications. His work frequently examines how cognitive symptoms manifest in depression among older adults, how these relate to underlying brain changes visible through neuroimaging, and how they impact functional outcomes. A significant portion of his recent work utilizes the Brain Health Registry, an innovative online platform for cognitive aging research that enables large-scale data collection across diverse populations. His publications demonstrate expertise in both clinical assessment of late-life mental health conditions and sophisticated analysis of neuroimaging data.

Dr. Mackin has served as Principal Investigator on multiple NIH-funded research projects, including R01 grants examining multimodal MRI characteristics of psychotherapy response in late-life depression (R01MH101472, 2015-2021), characterizing cognitive decline in late-life depression through the ADNI-D Project (R01MH098062, 2013-2018), and investigating cognitive and neuroimaging predictors of disability in late-life depression (K08MH081065, 2008-2014). These projects have generated numerous high-impact publications in leading journals across psychiatry, neurology, and geriatrics.

As a key contributor to the Brain Health Registry initiative, Dr. Mackin has helped develop innovative approaches to online cognitive assessment and longitudinal monitoring of cognitive aging. His work has advanced methodologies for unsupervised cognitive testing, participant engagement strategies for diverse populations, and the integration of digital tools into traditional research frameworks. This work has important implications for early detection of cognitive decline and development of interventions to maintain cognitive health in aging populations.