Professor Nephew and Professor King are currently focusing on using fNIRS technology to study chronic pain in hopes of identifying biomarkers or aspects of brain activity that predict levels of chronic pain. By using the fNIRS technology, the team is able to measure levels of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood which indirectly correlates with a change in brain activity. Putting those with and without chronic pain through a series of cognitive and physical tests, they are hoping to discover certain indicators or predictors of chronic pain as well measure the effectiveness of a variety of treatments for chronic pain.
Assistant Research Professor
I work with Dean Jean King, where our research is broadly focused on identifying and studying neurobehavioral mechanisms of mental illness and developing effective interventions. We currently use functional MRI (fMRI) to identify the neural correlates of mindfulness based stress reduction as part of a stage IIa randomized clinical trial, and fMRI data combined with related clinical measures to develop machine learning based early predictors of severe depression and suicidality. I developed a transgenerational social stress based rodent model of postpartum depression/anxiety, and related clinical work explores the role of behavioral hormones, discrimination, and epigenetic changes in postpartum depression/anxiety. Ongoing animal research includes the impact of social stress, alcohol, and air pollution on behavior, immune factors, neural connectivity, neuroendocrinology, and related epigenetic changes. Learn more.
Dean of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Jean King is the WPI Peterson family Dean in the School of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as a Professor of Biology and Biotechnology, affiliate Professor in Biomedical Engineering Department, Professor in the Neuroscience Program and Director, NeuroTech Suite at WPI. Prior to joining WPI, she was vice provost for biomedical research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School; a tenured professor of psychiatry, radiology, and neurology; and director of the university’s Center for Comparative Neuroimaging. She retains a lab and Adjunct Professorship at Umass Medical School, Worcester MA. Dr. King’s research uses multi-modal approaches to identify and characterize neuronal plasticity and behavioral modifications associated with stress and resilience – with emphasis on focus areas like mindfulness, addiction, ADHD, depression, fearfulness, anxiety. Learn more.
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