Psychophysiology of Anxiety, Worry, and Stress Lab
PI: Jacob D. Kraft, PhD
The PAWS Lab is at the forefront of affective and translational neuroscience, where our dedicated team conducts groundbreaking research aimed at deepening the understanding of stress, anxiety, and mood disorders. By employing innovative research techniques, we strive to bridge the gap between basic neuroscience and clinical applications, ultimately informing more effective treatments and interventions. Our work is driven by a commitment to advancing mental health care and improving the lives of those affected by these challenging conditions.
At the PAWS Lab, our research is focused on unraveling the cognitive and physiological processes underlying anxiety and related disorders, with the ultimate goal of improving treatment outcomes. We investigate how these processes contribute to the development and maintenance of these conditions, utilizing a wide array of techniques such as event-related potentials, time-frequency analyses, skin conductance, electrocardiography, and heart-rate variability. Our work aims to capture and understand the cognitive impairments, such as deficits in executive function and attention, that are characteristic of these disorders. Looking ahead, we are committed to advancing the use of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques, like tACS, to target both disease-specific and transdiagnostic processes, paving the way for more effective and personalized interventions.