The NeuroCognitive Aspects of Anxiety, Trauma and Treatment (NeuroCATT) Laboratory

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Our Lab's Mission

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The research mission of the lab is to conduct translational neuroscience research that has the potential to inform our understanding and optimization of psychotherapy interventions for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, or trauma-related symptoms. 
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• By taking a strength-based approach, we seek to understand how to enhance positive mental health - with the aim to provide a supportive, inclusive space that helps therapy participants and lab members reach their goals and realize their full potential. 
  
  
• Among our highest values is having engagement and input from diverse brains, backgrounds, and viewpoints, which will enable us to tackle important research questions most creatively and powerfully, in ways that benefit the community.

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CONTACT DR. AUPPERLE

Research Program Highlights

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Main Question

What are the behavioral or brain-based characteristics that best predict long-term outcomes and help to identify who will respond to what type of intervention? ​

Approach

We use a multi-level approach, i.e. test patients behaviorally, physiologically, and during fMRI, to develop individual-based profiles that will help to personalize therapy treatments and develop novel behavioral interventions and prevention programs.

Future Directions

​To develop individually tailored anxiety, depression, and trauma interventions or prevention strategies that help patients to have better outcomes.

Scientific Background

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Dr. Aupperle was born and raised in rural Oklahoma and obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Oklahoma State University. She received her master’s and doctoral education in clinical health psychology at the University of Kansas, under the mentorship of Cary Savage, Ph.D. and Douglas Denney, Ph.D. Her graduate research and clinical education focused on neuropsychology, neuroimaging, and anxiety disorders. She then continued out west to complete clinical internship at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, during which her training focused on clinical neuropsychology, cognitive rehabilitation, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

​Dr. Aupperle remained in San Diego to complete a postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Drs. Martin Paulus and Murray Stein, conducting research related to neural substrates of anxiety disorders and PTSD, with a particular emphasis on decision-making processes and treatment. She moved to Kansas City to join the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC) Department of Psychology as Assistant Professor in August, 2011. In August, 2014, Dr. Aupperle joined the Laureate Institute for Brain Research (LIBR) in Tulsa, OK, as Assistant Professor.

​Dr. Aupperle has initiated research projects at LIBR investigating neurocognitive and behavioral predictors of treatment response to behavioral activation therapy for depression and exposure therapy for anxiety.  In addition, she is taking the lead in LIBR projects investigating predictors of success for females enrolled in a criminal diversion program and factors related to mental health resiliency in college students. 

NeuroCATT Research Findings

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Meet Our Team

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Elisabeth Akeman
Research Therapist

Samantha Ramirez
Research Assistant

Hannah Berg
Post-Doc Research Associate

Sophy Yu
Post-Doc Research Associate

Jaya Chakka
Research Assistant

Kelly Cosgrove
Graduate Student, TU

Emily Choquette, Ph.D.
Post-Doc Research Associate

Tim McDermott
Graduate Student, TU

Student Volunteers

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Alyssa Clinard
​Kyle Devries
Brittany Mangold
​Janelle Payne
​Srivats Srinivasan ​

Selected Publications

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Aupperle RL, Allard CB, Simmons AN, Flagan T, Thorp SR, Norman SB, Paulus MP, Stein MB. Neural responses during emotional processing before and after cognitive trauma therapy for battered women. Psychiatry Res. 2013 Oct 30;214(1):48-55.

Aupperle RL, Melrose AJ, Francisco A, Paulus MP, Stein MB. Neural substrates of approach-avoidance conflict decision-making. Hum Brain Mapp. 2015 Feb;36(2):449-62.

Paulus MP, Aupperle R. Finding the Balance Between Safety and Threat May Hold the Key to Success When Treating PTSD. Am J Psychiatry. 2015 Dec;172(12):1173-5.

Chrysikou EG, Gorey C, Aupperle RL. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex alters decision making during approach-avoidance conflict. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2017 Mar 1;12(3):468-475.

Kirlic N, Young J, Aupperle RL. Animal to human translational paradigms relevant for approach avoidance conflict decision making. Behav Res Ther. 2017 Sep;96:14-29.

Clausen AN, Francisco AJ, Thelen J, Bruce J, Martin LE, McDowd J, Simmons WK, Aupperle RL. PTSD and cognitive symptoms relate to inhibition-related prefrontal activation and functional connectivity. Depress Anxiety. 2017 May;34(5):427-436.

FULL LIST OF PUBLICATIONS

Research Collaborators

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Murray B Stein, Ph.D.
University of California - San Diego

Amy Jak, Ph.D.
San Diego VA Healthcare System
University of California - San Diego

Cary Savage, Ph.D.
University of Kansas Medical Center

Arpi Minassian, Ph.D.
University of California - San Diego

Evangelia Chrysikou, Ph.D.
University of Kansas - Lawrence

Amanda Bruce, Ph.D.
University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kate Wolitzky-Taylor, Ph.D.
University of California - Los Angeles

Amanda Morris, Ph.D.
Oklahoma State University - Tulsa

Jared Young, Ph.D.
University of California - San Diego

Sandra Billinger, Ph.D.
University of Kansas Medical Center

Michelle Craske, Ph.D.
University of California - Los Angeles

Jim Abelson, M.D., Ph.D.
​University of Michigan

Laura Martin, Ph.D.
University of Kansas Medical Center

COLLABORATE WITH DR. AUPPERLE