New Publications
"Serotonin Transporter Genotype Affects Serotonin 5-HT1A Binding in Primates. " (Christian et al., Feb 2013, Journal of Neuroscience).
This research was performed to measure the 5-HT1A neurochemical endophenotype of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism. Rhesus monkeys possess a 5-HTTLPR length polymorphism similar to humans and serve as an excellent model for studying the effects of this orthologous genetic variation on neurochemical functions related to the 5-HT system. Significantly lower 5-HT1A binding was found in s-carrier subjects throughout both cortical brain regions and the raphe nuclei. These results demonstrate that the underlying 5-HT neurochemical system is influenced by this functional polymorphism.
"Cortical thinning in psychopathy" (Ly, Motzkin, Philippi, Kirk, Newman, Kiehl, & Koenigs, May 2012, American Journal of Psychiatry).
Psychopathy is a personality disorder associated with severely antisocial behavior and a host of cognitive and affective deficits. The neuropathological basis of the disorder has not been clearly established. Cortical thickness is a sensitive measure of brain structure that has been used to identify neurobiological abnormalities in a number of psychiatric disorders. The authors assessed cortical thickness and corresponding functional connectivity in psychopathic prison inmates. This paper concludes that psychopathy is shown to be associated with a distinct pattern of cortical thinning and reduced functional connectivity.
"Positron emission tomography assessment of 8-OH-DPAT-mediated changes in an index of cerebral glucose metabolism in female marmosets" (Converse et al., March 2012, NeuroImage).
This research was performed to better understand the role of serotonin in female sexual behavior. Female marmosets treated with a serotonin 1A receptor agonist showed reduced glucose metabolism in occipital cortex where differences in this measure of neural activity correlated with alterations in sexual behavior.
Lab in the News
November 11: The Burghy et al., Nature Neuroscience paper about infant stress and teen brain function gets press attention in UW News, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal and in the International weekly journal of science, Nature.
September: APA Monitor: Changing our brains, changing ourselves: Neuroscientist Richard Davidson believes that understanding the neurobiology of emotion can help all of us develop the right "emotional style" to improve our lives.
August 14: The Epoch Times: Game Builds Student Empathy: Teaching healthy habits of the mind through gaming. Dr. Richard Davidson, a pioneer in neuroscience research, is working with Dr. Kurt Squire to create a game in the form of a smartphone app centered around kindness and focus.
June 8: Scientific American: MIND Reviews: The Emotional Life of Your Brain