"Biologizar" la conducta y su andamiaje cognitivo no implica necesariamente ni adoptar una aproximación reduccionista que solo invoca causas fisiológicas ni suscribir postulados adaptacionistas que ningunean el papel del ambiente y del propio organismo en el complejo entramado d…
"Biologizar" la conducta y su andamiaje cognitivo no implica necesariamente ni adoptar una aproximación reduccionista que solo invoca causas fisiológicas ni suscribir postulados adaptacionistas que ningunean el papel del ambiente y del propio organismo en el complejo entramado d…
This study investigated how trauma impacts the brain at both the structural and functional level. Archival data from the charts of 14 patients with a history of trauma who complete neuropsychological assessments and qEEG brain mapping were reviewed. Independent t-tests, Pearson …
The ability to guide behaviors and allocate cognitive resources in service of goals or rules, termed cognitive control, is an integral part of daily activities, and worse cognitive control is associated with a range of poor outcomes. Reward-driven responses can either support co…
What makes us move? Human movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease have long suggested a vital role for dopamine in movement initiation, but there exists surprisingly little evidence connecting endogenous dopaminergic activity to a causal role in this process. Although “stand…
Despite the fact that serotonergic drugs are called upon to treat a myriad of psychopathologies, the effect of serotonin on core behaviors and cognitive abilities are poorly understood. This is especially true for cognitive functions which underlie socially competent behavior. T…
A variety of childhood experiences can lead to anxious/depressed (A/D) symptoms. The aim of the present study was to explore the neural correlates of A/D symptoms and the extent to which these neural phenotypes vary depending on the quality of the parenting context in which chil…
The evolution of major psychopathologies remains a point of intense debate within the scientific community. Counter to classical Darwinian perspectives, these disorders persist in human populations despite their high fitness costs (shorter lifespan and fewer surviving offspring …
The prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD), a chronic, heterogeneous disease characterized by an escalation from casual alcohol consumption to compulsive alcohol seeking and consumption accompanied by a persistent or recurring negative affective state, is a health crisis occur…
Objective: Cardiovascular risks (CVR) such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia play a critical role in the emergence of dementia syndromes. Medication to treat CVR may not obviate downstream risk for cognitive change.
This dissertation proposes the Sankofa Praxis meta-theory as an emic contribution to guide African-ascendent people in achieving alignment and self-actualization for psycho-spiritual wellness. My experience of alignment and self-actualization is explored through Scholarly Person…
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mood disorder that affects women shortly after the birth of their newborn. Prevalent symptoms include sadness, anxiety, fatigue, and lack of interest in activities that used to be pleasurable. Severe cases may include suicide ideation. While the …
This dissertation argues that cognition is a kind of natural agency. Natural agency is the capacity that certain systems have to act in accordance with their own norms. Natural agents are systems that bias their repertoires in response to affordances in the pursuit of their goal…
Previous research suggests impairment in the regulatory capacities of individuals with trauma histories in the affective, cognitive, behavioral, and physiological domains (e.g., Cook et al. 2005). Although research addresses these factors in veterans, studies only examine the ef…
Previous work indicates that the infralimbic cortex (IL) mediates extinction learning and actively suppresses cocaine-seeking during reinstatement, following cocaine self-administration. Despite extensive work supporting this role for IL activity, how and under exactly which con…
Background: Exposure to traumatic stress and adversity during the formative years of development can have adverse effects on mental health, neuroendocrine stress system function, and the brain, that persist into adulthood. One candidate mechanism that might confer vulnerability …
