Faculty Bibliography

Personality describes persistent human behavioral responses to broad classes of environmental stimuli. Investigating how personality traits are reflected in the brain's functional architecture is challenging, in part due to the difficulty of designing appropriate task probes. Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) can detect intrinsic activation patterns without relying on any specific task. Here we use RSFC to investigate the neural correlates of the five-factor personality domains. Based on seed regions placed within two cognitive and affective 'hubs' in the brain-the anterior cingulate and precuneus-each domain of personality predicted RSFC with a unique pattern of brain regions. These patterns corresponded with functional subdivisions responsible for cognitive and affective processing such as motivation, empathy and future-oriented thinking. Neuroticism and Extraversion, the two most widely studied of the five constructs, predicted connectivity between seed regions and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and lateral paralimbic regions, respectively. These areas are associated with emotional regulation, self-evaluation and reward, consistent with the trait qualities. Personality traits were mostly associated with functional connections that were inconsistently present across participants. This suggests that although a fundamental, core functional architecture is preserved across individuals, variable connections outside of that core encompass the inter-individual differences in personality that motivate diverse responses

On September 11, 2001, the author, a clinical assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at New York University Medical Center, worked as a psychologist in private practice in close proximity to New York University and the twin towers. She and her young children directly witnessed the attack. She was actively involved in postattack responding to children's and their parents' needs through private practice and disaster relief work. The essay is a narrative that describes her experience of the attacks, professionally and personally, and lessons learned as a result.

Chronic diseases present a significant challenge to 21st century global health policy. In developing nations, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease has severe implications on health and economic output. The rapid rise of common risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, especially among the poor, will result in even greater and more profound burdens that developing nations are not equipped to handle. Attention to chronic diseases, chronic kidney disease in particular, has been lacking, largely due to the global health community's focus on infectious diseases and lack of awareness. There is a critical need for funding in and to developing countries to implement more comprehensive, cost-effective, and preventative interventions against chronic diseases. This paper examines the epidemiology of chronic diseases, the growing prevalence of chronic kidney disease and its implications for global public health, and the associated health and economic burdens. Finally, a summary review of cost-effective interventions and funding needs is provided.

The use of structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in animal models of neuropathology is of increasing interest to the neuroscience community. In this work, we present our approach to create optimal translational studies that include both animal and human neuroimaging data within the frameworks of a study of post-natal neuro-development in intra-uterine cocaine-exposure. We propose the use of non-invasive neuroimaging to study developmental brain structural and white matter pathway abnormalities via sMRI and DTI, as advanced MR imaging technology is readily available and automated image analysis methodology have recently been transferred from the human to animal imaging setting. For this purpose, we developed a synergistic, parallel approach to imaging and image analysis for the human and the rodent branch of our study. We propose an equivalent design in both the selection of the developmental assessment stage and the neuroimaging setup. This approach brings significant advantages to study neurobiological features of early brain development that are common to animals and humans but also preserve analysis capabilities only possible in animal research. This paper presents the main framework and individual methods for the proposed cross-species study design, as well as preliminary DTI cross-species comparative results in the intra-uterine cocaine-exposure study.

In this paper, we propose a novel approach for intensity based atlas construction from a population of anatomical images, that estimates not only a template representative image but also a common optimal parameterization of the anatomical variations evident in the population. First, we introduce a discrete parameterization of large diffeomorphic deformations based on a finite set of control points, so that deformations are characterized by a low dimensional geometric descriptor. Second, we optimally estimate the position of the control points in the template image domain. As a consequence, control points move to where they are needed most to capture the geometric variability evident in the population. Third, the optimal number of control points is estimated by using a log - L1 sparsity penalty. The estimation of the template image, the template-to-subject mappings and their optimal parameterization is done via a single gradient descent optimization, and at the same computational cost as independent template-to-subject registrations. We present results that show that the anatomical variability of the population can be encoded efficiently with these compact and adapted geometric descriptors.

Review of "APA Ethics Code Commentary and Case Illustrations. Linda Campbell, Melba Vasquez, Stephen Behnke, and Robert Kinscherff. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2010, 392 pages, $69.95"

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the importance of adult attachment and relationship beliefs (dysfunctional expectations and implicit theories of relationships) for predicting interdependence in emerging adults' romantic relationships. College students at Fairleigh Dickinson University's Teaneck and Madison campuses were recruited from undergraduate psychology courses. Those students who consented to participate completed a battery of self-report measures. Bivariate correlations were computed among all variables of interest. None of the predictor variables were associated with overall ratings of relationship interdependence. Several multiple regression models were then conducted in order to assess whether attachment anxiety predicted interdependence, and whether the different relationship beliefs moderated this association. All models predicting relationship interdependence were non-significant, however some of the models predicting Strength of Influence, a subscale of interdependence, were significant. Older age and greater endorsement of the Mindreading is Expected and Disagreement is Dangerous beliefs were predictive of greater Strength of Influence scores. Exploratory analyses indicated that the interaction between gender and dysfunctional relationship beliefs approached significance in the model predicting Strength of Influence. The destiny and growth beliefs (i.e. implicit theories of relationships) were largely unrelated to either attachment anxiety or the outcome of interest, and no moderation effect was found for either belief. This study adds to our understanding of the phenomenology of relationship beliefs in emerging adulthood, particularly how such beliefs influence close relationships. In comparison to married adults, for whom dysfunctional beliefs are detrimental to relationship functioning, emerging adults who endorsed dysfunctional beliefs in this study simultaneously reported positive relationship functioning, as indicated by greater influence of their romantic partners. Such findings suggest that dysfunctional beliefs may be developmentally appropriate in emerging adulthood and may only become harmful to relationships later in the lifespan.

Fregoli syndrome (FS) is commonly associated with verbal threats and aggressive behavior. We present a case of Fregoli syndrome leading to an assault. We discuss the possible underdiagnosis of FS, associated risk for aggression, and strategies to reduce that risk.