The Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR) has recruited investigators with an impressive track record of scientific productivity to lead the three NeuroMAP projects with innovative neuroscience-based research to use individual differences on several biological levels together with sophisticated statistical approaches to generate clinically meaningful predictions of risk and outcomes for mood, anxiety, and eating disorders.
Project 1:
Modulating explore-exploit biases by improving mood in adults with methamphetamine use disorder
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Why It Matters:
Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is a rapidly accelerating public health concern, with over 30,000 overdose deaths in 2021 and very high relapse rates. Risky patterns of use and difficulties to reach lasting abstinence can be tied to abnormal decision-making behaviors and seem to be exacerbated by a poor mood. The absence of approved medication to treat MUD has placed an emphasis of developing effective behavioral interventions improving mood in MUD. What We Are Investigating: Focusing on how people adapt their behavior to make good choices and avoid bad ones, this project will identify and measure how mood interacts with decision-making in MUD, looking at both behavior and brain activity. Our Research Strategy:
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Project Outcomes:
This project aims to causally identify the effects of mood on computational decision-making mechanisms and associated brain areas in MUD. This will provide a foundation for novel therapeutic strategies and targets to normalize abnormal decision-making sustaining chronic drug use in MUD. Dr. Gueguen is an Associate Investigator at LIBR since 2023. She received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Grenoble Alps University for her neurocomputational study of human reinforcement learning and completed her doctoral training at Rutgers University where she gained expertise in functional neuroimaging in human addiction. As a CoBRE Research Project Leader, Dr. Gueguen is benefitting from the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Stewart (LIBR) and Dr. Rita Goldstein (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), both experts in neuroimaging studies in addiction. |
Project 2:
Neurobiology of Decision-Making in Adults With and Without Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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Why It Matters:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a leading cause of disability and is estimated to cost the United States $8.4 billion per year. Gold-standard treatments are unfortunately only effective in some cases, with limited treatment development over the past 50 years. One roadblock to treatment improvement is a limited understanding of the mechanisms underlying compulsions, the distinct behavioral patterns that characterize OCD. What We Are Investigating: We use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate threat-related decision-making in individuals with and without OCD, to understand the neural basis of compulsive behavior. Our Research Strategy:
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Project Outcomes:
Our long-term goal is to delineate neurobehavioral markers of OCD. This will aid in identifying viable psychological and neural targets for OCD treatment, ultimately improving the precision of OCD treatment and reducing the suffering associated with OCD. Dr. Berg, an Associate Investigator at LIBR, earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Berg has clinical experience working with OCD, anxiety and depression, substance use, and eating disorders. She has worked closely with Dr. Robin Aupperle since joining LIBR in 2021, with a focus on delineating the neural basis of maladaptive decision-making in clinical anxiety. Her CoBRE Research Project draws on additional mentorship from Dr. Blair Simpson (Columbia University). |
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Project 3:
Decoding Emotional Dynamics Driving Mood Instability in Bipolar Disorder
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Why It Matters:
Bipolar disorder is characterized by pronounced mood instability that are associated with worse clinical outcomes and functional impairment. Although prior neuroimaging studies have identified abnormal patterns of brain activation and connectivity in bipolar disorder, most approaches do not capture moment-to-moment brain state fluctuations. As a result, the neural mechanisms that generate mood instability remain poorly understood. Clarifying these mechanisms is essential for identifying biologically grounded targets for intervention and improving personalized treatment strategies. What We Are Investigating: This project examines how brain activation patterns evolve over time in response to emotional thinking and regulation in individuals with bipolar disorder. We decode emotional states from whole-brain activity patterns measured with functional MRI and analyze their temporal dynamics. Rather than focusing on single brain regions, we estimate a person’s emotional state at each moment using distributed patterns of brain activity. We then characterize how these states change over time and identify the brain systems that drive transitions between emotional states. This approach allows us to quantify emotional dynamics directly and relate them to mood instability. Our Research Strategy:
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Project Outcomes:
The overarching objective of this research is to identify quantitative neural markers of mood instability that can inform individualized intervention strategies. By elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying transitions between emotional states, this work aims to advance precision psychiatry approaches that enable prediction and stabilization of mood fluctuations in bipolar disorder. Dr. Misaki has been an Associate Investigator at LIBR since 2021. He earned his Ph.D. in Informatics from Kyoto University, where he combined behavioral experimentation with computational modeling and machine learning analyses to study human perception. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training in functional neuroimaging in Japan and at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIH), developing expertise in fMRI methodology, signal processing, and machine learning approaches for clinical neuroscience. As a CoBRE Research Project Leader, Dr. Misaki is mentored by Dr. Maria Ironside (LIBR), an expert in neuroimaging studies of mood disorders, and Dr. Tadafumi Kato (Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine), an expert in the biological mechanisms of bipolar disorder. |
Project 4:
Mechanisms of Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound of the Ventral Anterior Cingulate Cortex for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Frontline Healthcare Workers
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Why It Matters:
Frontline healthcare workers (e.g., EMS clinicians, emergency physicians, ICU staff) experience repeated exposure to traumatic clinical events and moral injury, placing them at elevated risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, sleep disruption, and occupational impairment. Despite this high burden, available interventions are often difficult to access, variably effective, and not tailored to underlying neurobiological mechanisms. There is a critical need for scalable, mechanism-informed approaches that can reduce PTSD symptom burden and support workforce wellbeing and retention. What We Are Investigating: This project evaluates whether low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU), a noninvasive form of neuromodulation, can engage fronto-limbic circuitry implicated in threat processing and emotion regulation to reduce PTSD symptoms in frontline healthcare workers. Using multimodal phenotyping—including symptom measures, neuroimaging, and physiology—we will test whether circuit-level changes mediate threat sensitivity, affect regulation, and physiology. Our Research Strategy:
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Project Outcomes:
Our long-term goal is to develop a circuit-targeted, noninvasive intervention for occupational PTSD in healthcare workers and to delineate neurobehavioral markers of occupational stress injury and response to treatment. This work aims to accelerate precision approaches to trauma-related care, reduce suffering and functional impairment, and support sustainable careers in high-risk clinical settings. Dr. Taren, an Associate Investigator at LIBR, is a physician-scientist and emergency medicine clinician whose research program focuses on occupational stress and trauma exposure in frontline healthcare professionals. Her work integrates neuroimaging, neuromodulation (including LIFU), and real-world physiological monitoring to understand mechanisms linking trauma exposure to brain-based changes and clinical outcomes, with the goal of developing targeted, scalable interventions to improve resilience and mental health in high-risk workforces. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from and her M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh-Carnegie Mellon University Medical Scientist Training Program. As a CoBRE Research Project Leader, Dr. Taren is benefiting from the mentorship of Dr. Robin Aupperle (LIBR) and Dr. Noah Philip (Brown University). |
PAST RESEARCH PROJECT LEADERS
Modulating Repetitive Negative Thinking Related Brain Networks in Young Adults with Depression
Aki Tsuchiyagaito, Ph.D.
Investigating the Effects of Aversive Interoceptive States on Computations Underlying Avoidance Behavior and their Neural Basis
Ryan Smith, Ph.D.
Frontal Stimulation to Modulate Threat Sensitivity in Anxious Depression
Maria A. Ironside, DPhil.
Cerebellar Neuromodulation to Enhance Fear Extinction and Predict Response to Exposure Therapy
Yoon-Hee Cha, M.D.
Predicting Treatment Response to Exposure Therapy Using a Carbon Dioxide Habituation Paradigm (CHP) in Patients with High Levels of Anxiety
Justin Feinstein, Ph.D.
Response to Inflammatory Challenge in Major Depressive Disorder
Jonathan Savitz, Ph.D.
Neural Basis of Interoceptive Dysfunction and Anxiety in Anorexia Nervosa
Sahib Khalsa, M.D., Ph.D.
Augmented Mindfulness Training for Resilience in Early Life
Namik Kirlic, Ph.D.
Aki Tsuchiyagaito, Ph.D.
Investigating the Effects of Aversive Interoceptive States on Computations Underlying Avoidance Behavior and their Neural Basis
Ryan Smith, Ph.D.
Frontal Stimulation to Modulate Threat Sensitivity in Anxious Depression
Maria A. Ironside, DPhil.
Cerebellar Neuromodulation to Enhance Fear Extinction and Predict Response to Exposure Therapy
Yoon-Hee Cha, M.D.
Predicting Treatment Response to Exposure Therapy Using a Carbon Dioxide Habituation Paradigm (CHP) in Patients with High Levels of Anxiety
Justin Feinstein, Ph.D.
Response to Inflammatory Challenge in Major Depressive Disorder
Jonathan Savitz, Ph.D.
Neural Basis of Interoceptive Dysfunction and Anxiety in Anorexia Nervosa
Sahib Khalsa, M.D., Ph.D.
Augmented Mindfulness Training for Resilience in Early Life
Namik Kirlic, Ph.D.