Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health
Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research
Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, Suite 328
614-366-1027
Stephanie.Gorka@osumc.edu
Research Interests
- Substance Use Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Biomarker Discovery and Validation
Research Goals
My research has focused on how individual differences in reactivity to stress relate to psychopathology using multimodal psychophysiological techniques including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and startle eyeblink potentiation. Broadly, my findings converge to suggest that stress reactivity is a transdiagnostic construct that underlies maladaptive coping behavior and the development of several psychiatric disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol use disorder (AUD), and fear-based anxiety disorders (e.g., panic disorder). These individual differences can reliably be measured in the lab and used to predict disorder onset, treatment response, and changes in symptoms over time. The overarching goal of my work is to develop and validate a multilayered neurobiological model of stress reactivity to serve as human lab targets and aid in the development of novel clinical interventions.
Research Techniques
- Neuroimaging
- Electroencephalography (EEG)
- Electromyography (EMG)
- Clinical Assessment
Active Funding
- K23AA025111 (NIH/NIAAA; 2017 – 2022)
- R01AA028225 (NIH/NIAAA; 2021 – 2026)
- R01MH126116 (NIH/NIMH; 2021 – 2026)
Education
PhD: University of Illinois at Chicago
MA: University of Illinois at Chicago
BS: University of Maryland, College Park
Professional Memberships
- Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA)
News and Media
- https://myfox28columbus.com/news/local/first-the-masks-hand-sanitizer-now-the-toilet-paper-the-psychology-behind-panic-buying
- https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/520215/new-patient-test-could-suggest-whether-therapy-or-meds-will-work-better-anxiety
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201611/study-fear-the-unknown-compounds-many-anxiety-disorders
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161118131510.htm
- https://news.wttw.com/2019/01/17/what-dry-january-all-about-and-why-you-might-want-try-it
- WBEZ radio program, “Morning Shift.” How Fear Affects our Mind: http://bit.ly/2l13e4J