“Engineering and nursing are similar in that they are both looking to solve specific problems through science. But nursing looks at the whole person. Given my research interest, UCLA is a great fit. Working in a school of nursing helps to ground the problems I study in the realities of people’s lives.”
While earning his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Dr. Macey was part of a research group that studied Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). His growing interest in how the brain controls breathing and blood pressure ultimately brought Dr. Macey to UCLA. In his current research, Dr. Macey studies the relationship between the brain and physical and psychological stresses in people with obstructive sleep apnea. His group uses MRI scanning in laboratories, and mobile health technology in people's homes , to test the effectiveness of physical and psychological interventions in sleep apnea, including the standard Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment and blood pressure reduction using drugs or mindfulness. His ultimate goal is help patients treat their full range of symptoms. Dr. Macey collaborates with teams in other UCLA departments and universities around the globe on brain imaging projects. He also is part of a team looking at similar questions in heart failure and in the pediatric condition of Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS).
Areas of Scholarly Expertise and Interest
Obstructive sleep apnea, neuroimaging, autonomic nervous system, depression, anxiety, stress
Faculty Research and Clinical Expertise
Research: I study the brain in people with sleep disordered breathing. I seek to help understand how the neural regulation of body functions such breathing and cardiovascular control, and of psychological factors such as depression and anxiety are affected in people with obstructive sleep apnea. Our group typically uses brain MRI scanning to look at brain structure and function, and we relate brain changes to performance on physiologic tests of blood pressure and breathing, as well as measurements of mood and cognitive capacity. As well as adults with obstructive sleep apnea, I am part of a team looking at similar questions in heart failure, and in the pediatric condition of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. I also regularly collaborate with faculty outside UCLA on a variety of brain imaging projects.
Education
University of Canterbury, New Zealand, BE (hons.), 1991, Electrical Engineering
University of Canterbury, New Zealand, PhD, 1998, Electrical Engineering
Publications
Gustin S, Peck C, Macey P, Murray G and Henderson L. (in press). Personality, pain and plasticity: Unraveling the effects of state and trait depression on brain structure. Pain.
Yadav SK, Kumar R, Macey PM, Woo MA, Yan-Go F and Harper RM. (2014). Insular cortex metabolite changes in obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep, 37(5). In press.
Sarma MK, Nagarajan R, Macey PM, Kumar R, Villablanca JP, Furuyama J and Thomas MA. (2014). Accelerated echo-planar j-resolved spectroscopic imaging in the human brain using compressed sensing: A pilot validation in obstructive sleep apnea. AJNR American journal of neuroradiology. In press.
Kumar R, Farahvar S, Ogren JA, Macey PM, Thompson PM, Woo MA, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2014). Brain putamen volume changes in newly-diagnosed patients with obstructive sleep apnea. NeuroImage Clinical, 4:383-91.
Yadav SK, Kumar R, Macey PM, Richardson HL, Wang DJ, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2013). Regional cerebral blood flow alterations in obstructive sleep apnea. Neurosci Lett, 555:159-64.
Richardson HL, Macey PM, Kumar R, Valladares EM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2013). Neural and physiological responses to a cold pressor challenge in healthy adolescents. J Neurosci Res, 91(12):1618-27.
Pan A, Kumar R, Macey PM, Fonarow GC, Harper RM and Woo MA. (2013). Visual assessment of brain magnetic resonance imaging detects injury to cognitive regulatory sites in patients with heart failure. J Card Fail, 19(2):94-100.
Macey PM, Kumar R, Woo MA, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2013). Heart rate responses to autonomic challenges in obstructive sleep apnea. PLoS One, 8(10):e76631.
Kumar R, Chavez AS, Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2013). Brain axial and radial diffusivity changes with age and gender in healthy adults. Brain Res, 1512:22-36.
Ogren JA, Macey PM, Kumar R, Fonarow GC, Hamilton MA, Harper RM and Woo MA. (2012). Impaired cerebellar and limbic responses to the valsalva maneuver in heart failure. Cerebellum, 11(4):931-8.
Macey PM, Wu P, Kumar R, Ogren JA, Richardson HL, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2012). Differential responses of the insular cortex gyri to autonomic challenges. Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical, 168(1-2):72-81.
Macey PM, Moiyadi AS, Kumar R, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2012). Decreased cortical thickness in central hypoventilation syndrome. Cereb Cortex, 22(8):1728-37.
Macey PM, Kumar R, Yan-Go FL, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2012). Sex differences in white matter alterations accompanying obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep, 35(12):1603-13.
Kumar R, Woo MS, Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2012). Progressive gray matter changes in patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Pediatr Res, 71(6):701-6.
Kumar R, Nguyen HD, Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2012). Regional brain axial and radial diffusivity changes during development. J Neurosci Res, 90(2):346-55.
Kumar R, Delshad S, Woo MA, Macey PM and Harper RM. (2012). Age-related regional brain t2-relaxation changes in healthy adults. J Magn Reson Imaging, 35(2):300-8.
Kumar R, Chavez AS, Macey PM, Woo MA, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2012). Altered global and regional brain mean diffusivity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. J Neurosci Res, 90(10):2043-52.
Gustin SM, Peck CC, Cheney LB, Macey PM, Murray GM and Henderson LA. (2012). Pain and plasticity: Is chronic pain always associated with somatosensory cortex activity and reorganization? J Neurosci, 32(43):14874-84.
Fitzgerald L, Macey PM and Brecht ML. (2012). Pathways to interleukin-6 in healthy males and serious leisure male athletes: Physical activity, body composition and age. Plos One, 7(7): Epub.
Kumar R, Woo MA, Macey PM, Fonarow GC, Hamilton MA and Harper RM. (2011). Brain axonal and myelin evaluation in heart failure. J Neurol Sci, 307(1-2):106-13.
Kumar R, Nguyen HD, Ogren JA, Macey PM, Thompson PM, Fonarow GC, Hamilton MA, Harper RM and Woo MA. (2011). Global and regional putamen volume loss in patients with heart failure. Eur J Heart Fail, 13(6):651-5.
Kumar R, Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2011). Selectively diminished corpus callosum fibers in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Neuroscience, 178:261-9.
Kumar R, Delshad S, Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2011). Development of t2-relaxation values in regional brain sites during adolescence. Magn Reson Imaging, 29(2):185-93.
Henderson LA, Gustin SM, Macey PM, Wrigley PJ and Siddall PJ. (2011). Functional reorganization of the brain in humans following spinal cord injury: Evidence for underlying changes in cortical anatomy. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 31(7):2630-7.
Ogren JA, Macey PM, Kumar R, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2010). Central autonomic regulation in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Neuroscience, 167(4):1249-56.
Menteer J, Macey PM, Woo MA, Panigrahy A and Harper RM. (2010). Central nervous system changes in pediatric heart failure: A volumetric study. Pediatr Cardiol, 31(7):969-76.
Macey PM, Woo MA, Kumar R, Cross RL and Harper RM. (2010). Relationship between obstructive sleep apnea severity and sleep, depression and anxiety symptoms in newly-diagnosed patients. PLoS ONE, 5(4):e10211.
Macey PM, Kumar R, Ogren JA, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2010). Altered cerebral blood flow in a patient with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Sleep Med, 11(6):589-90.
Kumar R, Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2010). Rostral brain axonal injury in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. J Neurosci Res, 88(10):2146-54.
Wrigley PJ, Gustin SM, Macey PM, Nash PG, Gandevia SC, Macefield VG, Siddall PJ and Henderson LA. (2009). Anatomical changes in human motor cortex and motor pathways following complete thoracic spinal cord injury. Cereb Cortex, 19(1):224-32.
Woo MA, Kumar R, Macey PM, Fonarow GC and Harper RM. (2009). Brain injury in autonomic, emotional, and cognitive regulatory areas in patients with heart failure. J Card Fail, 15(3):214-23.
Macey PM, Richard CA, Kumar R, Woo MA, Ogren JA, Avedissian C, Thompson PM and Harper RM. (2009). Hippocampal volume reduction in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. PLoS ONE, 4(7):e6436.
Kumar R, Woo MA, Birrer BV, Macey PM, Fonarow GC, Hamilton MA and Harper RM. (2009). Mammillary bodies and fornix fibers are injured in heart failure. Neurobiol Dis, 33(2):236-42.
Kumar R, Nguyen HD, Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2009). Dilated basilar arteries in patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Neurosci Lett, 467(2):139-43.
Kumar R, Macey PM, Cross RL, Woo MA, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2009). Neural alterations associated with anxiety symptoms in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Depress Anxiety, 26(5):480-91.
Kumar R, Kwanno L, Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2009). Mammillary body and fornix injury in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Pediatr Res, 66(4):429-34.
Kumar R, Ahdout R, Macey PM, Woo MA, Avedissian C, Thompson PM and Harper RM. (2009). Reduced caudate nuclei volumes in patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Neuroscience, 163(4):1373-9.
Serber SL, Kumar R, Woo MA, Macey PM, Fonarow GC and Harper RM. (2008). Cognitive test performance and brain pathology. Nurs Res, 57(2):75-83.
Macey PM, Kumar R, Woo MA, Valladares EM, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2008). Brain structural changes in obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep, 31(7):967-77.
Kumar R, Macey PM, Woo MA, Alger JR and Harper RM. (2008). Diffusion tensor imaging demonstrates brainstem and cerebellar abnormalities in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Pediatr Res, 64(3):275-80.
Kumar R, Birrer BV, Macey PM, Woo MA, Gupta RK, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2008). Reduced mammillary body volume in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Neurosci Lett, 438(3):330-4.
Cross RL, Kumar R, Macey PM, Doering LV, Alger JR, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2008). Neural alterations and depressive symptoms in obstructive sleep apnea patients. Sleep, 31(8):1103-9.
Woo MA, Macey PM, Keens PT, Kumar R, Fonarow GC, Hamilton MA and Harper RM. (2007). Aberrant central nervous system responses to the valsalva maneuver in heart failure. Congestive heart failure (Greenwich, Conn, 13(1):29-35.
Macey PM, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2007). Hyperoxic brain effects are normalized by addition of co2. PLoS Medicine, 4(5):828-35.
Macey KE, Macey PM, Woo MA, Henderson LA, Frysinger RC, Harper RK, Alger JR, Yan-Go F and Harper RM. (2006). Inspiratory loading elicits aberrant fmri signal changes in obstructive sleep apnea. Respir Physiol Neurobiol, 151(1):44-60.
Kumar R, Macey PM, Woo MA, Alger JR and Harper RM. (2006). Elevated mean diffusivity in widespread brain regions in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. J Magn Reson Imaging, 24(6):1252-8.
Henderson LA, Macey KE, Macey PM, Woo MA, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2006). Regional brain response patterns to cheyne-stokes breathing. Respir Physiol Neurobiol, 150(1):87-93.
Woo MA, Macey PM, Macey KE, Keens TG, Woo MS, Harper RK and Harper RM. (2005). Fmri responses to hyperoxia in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Pediatr Res, 57(4):510-8.
Woo MA, Macey PM, Keens PT, Kumar R, Fonarow GC, Hamilton MA and Harper RM. (2005). Functional abnormalities in brain areas that mediate autonomic nervous system control in advanced heart failure. J Card Fail, 11(6):437-46.
Macey PM, Woo MA, Macey KE, Keens TG, Saeed MM, Alger JR and Harper RM. (2005). Hypoxia reveals posterior thalamic, cerebellar, midbrain, and limbic deficits in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. J Appl Physiol, 98(3):958-69.
Macey PM, Macey KE, Woo MA, Keens TG and Harper RM. (2005). Aberrant neural responses to cold pressor challenges in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Pediatr Res, 57(4):500-9.
Kumar R, Macey PM, Woo MA, Alger JR, Keens TG and Harper RM. (2005). Neuroanatomic deficits in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. J Comp Neurol, 487(4):361-71.
Harper RM, Macey PM, Woo MA, Macey KE, Keens TG, Gozal D and Alger JR. (2005). Hypercapnic exposure in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome reveals cns respiratory control mechanisms. J Neurophysiol, 93(3):1647-58.
Macey PM, Valderama C, Kim AH, Woo MA, Gozal D, Keens TG, Harper RK and Harper RM. (2004). Temporal trends of cardiac and respiratory responses to ventilatory challenges in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Pediatr Res, 55(6):953-9.
Macey PM, Macey KE, Kumar R and Harper RM. (2004). A method for removal of global effects from fmri time series. Neuroimage, 22(1):360-6.
Macey KE, Macey PM, Woo MA, Harper RK, Alger JR, Keens TG and Harper RM. (2004). Fmri signal changes in response to forced expiratory loading in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. J Appl Physiol, 97(5):1897-907.
Henderson LA, Richard CA, Macey PM, Runquist ML, Yu PL, Galons JP and Harper RM. (2004). Functional magnetic resonance signal changes in neural structures to baroreceptor reflex activation. J Appl Physiol, 96(2):693-703.
Henderson LA, Macey PM, Richard CA, Runquist ML and Harper RM. (2004). Functional magnetic resonance imaging during hypotension in the developing animal. J Appl Physiol, 97(6):2248-57.
Woo MA, Macey PM, Fonarow GC, Hamilton MA and Harper RM. (2003). Regional brain gray matter loss in heart failure. J Appl Physiol, 95(2):677-84.
Tappin DM, Ford RP, Price B, Macey PM and Larkin J. (2003). Overnight central and peripheral temperature changes in normal infants. Acta Paediatr, 92(9):1003-6.
Richard CA, Rector DM, Macey PM, Ali N and Harper RM. (2003). Late-developing rostral ventrolateral medullary surface responses to cardiovascular challenges during sleep. Brain Res, 985(1):65-77.
Macey PM, Macey KE, Henderson LA, Alger JR, Frysinger RC, Woo MA, Yan-Go F and Harper RM. (2003). Functional magnetic resonance imaging responses to expiratory loading in obstructive sleep apnea. Respir Physiol Neurobiol, 138(2-3):275-90.
Macey PM, Alger JR, Kumar R, Macey KE, Woo MA and Harper RM. (2003). Global bold mri changes to ventilatory challenges in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Respir Physiol Neurobiol, 139(1):41-50.
Henderson LA, Woo MA, Macey PM, Macey KE, Frysinger RC, Alger JR, Yan-Go F and Harper RM. (2003). Neural responses during valsalva maneuvers in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. J Appl Physiol, 94(3):1063-74.
Harper RM, Macey PM, Henderson LA, Woo MA, Macey KE, Frysinger RC, Alger JR, Nguyen KP and Yan-Go FL. (2003). Fmri responses to cold pressor challenges in control and obstructive sleep apnea subjects. J Appl Physiol, 94(4):1583-95.
Macey PM, Henderson LA, Macey KE, Alger JR, Frysinger RC, Woo MA, Harper RK, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2002). Brain morphology associated with obstructive sleep apnea. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 166(10):1382-7.
Kim AH, Macey PM, Woo MA, Yu PL, Keens TG, Gozal D and Harper RM. (2002). Cardiac responses to pressor challenges in congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Somnologie, 6(3):109-15.
Henderson LA, Macey PM, Macey KE, Frysinger RC, Woo MA, Harper RK, Alger JR, Yan-Go FL and Harper RM. (2002). Brain responses associated with the valsalva maneuver revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. J Neurophysiol, 88(6):3477-86.
Schluter PJ, Macey PM and Ford RP. (2000). The relationship between inside and outside ambient temperatures in christchurch, new zealand. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol, 14(3):275-82.
Richard CA, Rector D, Macey P and Harper RM. (2000). Changes in ventral medullary light reflectance during hypercapnia in awake and sleeping cats. Neurosci Lett, 286(3):175-8.
Macey PM, Schluter PJ and Ford RP. (2000). Weather and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome: The effect of wind. J Epidemiol Community Health, 54(5):333-9.
Macey PM, Richard CA, Rector DM, Harper RK and Harper RM. (2000). State influences on ventral medullary surface and physiological responses to sodium cyanide challenges. J Appl Physiol, 89(5):1919-27.
Macey PM, Li JS and Ford RP. (1999). Deterministic properties of apnoeas in an abdominal breathing signal. Med Biol Eng Comput, 37(3):335-43.
Macey PM, Li JSJ and Ford RPK. (1998). Expert system for the detection of apnoea. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 11(3):425-38.
Tappin DM, Ford RP, Nelson KP, Price B, Macey PM and Dove R. (1997). The febrile stress of routine vaccination does not increase central apnoea in normal infants. Acta Paediatr, 86(8):873-80.
Tappin DM, Ford RP, Nelson KP, Price B, Macey PM, Dove R, Larkin J and Slade B. (1996). Breathing, sleep state, and rectal temperature oscillations. Arch Dis Child, 74(5):427-31.
Macey PM, Ford RP, Brown PJ, Larkin J, Fright WR and Garden KL. (1995). Apnoea detection: Human performance and reliability of a computer algorithm. Acta Paediatr, 84(10):1103-7.