Our current program:

Understanding the Etiology of PTSD

We are examining factors that affect the etiology of PTSD, toward the development of prevention protocols.


We have completed three programs in recent years:

The Relationship Between Alcohol Consumption, Exercise, and Heartbeat Perception

The purpose of this study was to examine whether acute alcohol consumption and exercise affect the accuracy of heartbeat perception. We found that, for men only, alcohol significantly impaired cardioceptive accuracy relative to a placebo at both low and high levels of arousal, with medium to large effect sizes. The findings have implications for why acute alcohol consumption lowers the prospective risk of a panic attack.

An Examination of the Relation Between Nicotine Dependence and Fear Reactivity to Bodily Sensations

We applied nicotine patches of various strengths to daily smokers and subsequently measured carbon dioxide sensitivity. Our aim was to understand why frequent smokers are at elevated risk for developing panic disorder. In brief, participants re-breathed elevated rates of carbon dioxide while a number of physiological and subjective parameters were measured. Increased sensitivity to carbon dioxide in the lab is thought to reflect an increased propensity to experience panic attacks outside the lab. We found that wearing a nicotine (vs. placebo) patch increased self-reported panic reactivity among participants, but did not significantly affect physiological and behavioral measures of reactivity.

Predictive Validity of the Smoking Abstinence Expectancies Questionnaire (SAEQ)

We have developed and published a questionnaire that assesses, among regular smokers, expected psychological and physiological responses to abstaining from smoking for a 24-hour period. The questionnaire may assist prediction models of successful quitting and enable clinicians to target specific expectancies in their treatment of smokers.