The CoNNeCT Lab studies the neurobiological mechanisms underlying social and emotional information processing in anxiety and obsessive compulsive related disorders to improve their prevention, assessment, and treatment. We employ techniques across clinical psychological science, social psychology, and cognitive and affective neuroscience disciplines, including fMRI, neuroendocrine assays, pharmacology, behavioral tasks, and self-report assessments. Our primary goal is to connect the basic science of social cognition and emotion to clinical models of psychological disorders, in order to ultimately improve real-world clinical practice.

Our lab is focused on addressing the following questions:

(1) What are the neurobiological contributions to maladaptive social information processing in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders characterized by severe social avoidance?

(2) What is the predictive utility of these neurobiological mechanisms in revealing one’s expected course of illness or treatment response?

(3) Can these neurobiological mechanisms be manipulated through targeted neuromodulation strategies (e.g., intranasal oxytocin)?