His dissertation research primarily examined psychobiological responses to aerobic exercise and stress in adults with PTSD in addition to the role of the endocannabinoid system in exercise-induced enhancement of fear extinction in rodent models. His current research is focused on examining whether aerobic exercise in conjunction with extinction training improves cognitive, physiological, and neural indices of extinction recall, and determining whether exercise influences reinforcement learning in adult women with PTSD using computational modeling and neuroimaging approaches.
Research Intrests:
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Acute cognitive effects of exercise
- Neurobiological mechanisms
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
His primary research interests include:
- Delineating the role of exercise as part of a comprehensive treatment plan for individuals with clinical anxiety and trauma-related disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Examining the acute effects of aerobic exercise on learning, memory, and decision making in individuals with and without psychiatric disorders, including PTSD.
- Investigating psychobiological responses to aerobic exercise and lab-based stressors.
- Elucidating neurobiological mechanisms responsible for the psychological improvements and cognitive-enhancing effects of exercise.
