Kymberly Young, PhD

  • Associate Professor, Psychiatry

Phone

412-648-6179

E-mail

youngk@pitt.edu

Personal Website

website link

Education & Training

PhD, American University (2010)

Campus Address

3501 Forbes Avenue, #403, Pittsburgh, PA  15213

One-Line Research Description

Neuromodulation and multimodal imaging of onset and recovery from affective disorders

The Biological Affect Modulation (BAM) lab is devoted to understanding onset and recovery from emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety.  We also  focus on developing new neuroscience-derived behavioral treatments, including real-time fMRI neurofeedback. Using behavioral, physiological (EEG, galvanic skin response, heart rate, respiration), and functional imaging methods we seek to understand the physiological mechanisms of emotional information and autobiographical memory processing with the ultimate goal of developing techniques that allow individuals to modify these mechanisms directly. 

Representative Publications

Compere, L., Siegle, G.J., Young, K.D. Importance of test-retest reliability for promoting fMRI based screening and interventions in major depressive disorder. Transl. Psychiatry. 2021:11(1):387

Young, KD., Friedman, E.S., Collier, A., Berman, S.R., Feldmiller, J., Haggerty, A.E., Thase, M.E., Siegle, G.J. Response to SSRI intervention and amygdala activity during self-referential processing in major depressive disorder. NeoroImage: Clinical. 2020:28:102388

Sorger, B., Scharnowski, F., Linden, D.E.J., Hampson, M., Young, K.D. Control freaks: Towards optimal selection of control conditions for fMRI neurofeedback studies. NeuroImage. 2019:186:256-265. PMID: 30423429

Young, KD, Siegle, GJ., Zotev, V., Phillips, R., Misaki, M., Yuan, H., Drevets, WC., Bodurka, J. (2017). Randomized clinical trial of real-time fMRI amygdala neurofeedback for major depressive disorder: Effects on symptoms and autobiographical memory recall. American Journal of Psychiatry. Apr 14. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2017.16060637.

Young, KD., Misaki, M., Harmer, CJ., Victor, T., Zotev, V., Phillips, R., Siegle, GJ., Drevets, WC., Bodurka, J. (2017). Real-Time fMRI Amygdala Neurofeedback Changes Positive Information Processing in Major Depressive Disorder. Biological Psychiatry. Mar 28. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2017.03.013.

Young, K., Zotev, V., Phillips, R., Misaki, M., Yuan, H., Drevets, W.C., Bodurka, J. Real-time fMRI neurofeedback training of amygdala activity in patients with major depressive disorder. PLoS One. 2014: 9(2):e88785. PubMed PMID: 24523939. 

Young, KD., Siegle, G., Bodurka, K., Drevets, WC. (2016) Amygdala activity during autobiographical memory recall in depressed and vulnerable individuals; Association with symptom severity and autobiographical overgenerality. American Journal of Psychiatry 173:78-89.

Young, K., Bellgowan, P.S.F., Bodurka, J., Drevets, W.C. Behavioral and neuropsychological correlates of autobiographical memory deficits in depressed subjects and individuals at high risk for depression. JAMA Psychiatry. 2013: 70(7):698-708. PubMed PMID: 23677007. 

Young, KD., Drevets, WC., Dantzer, R., Teague, KT., Bodurka, J., Savitz, JS. (2016). Kynurenine Pathway Metabolites are Associated with Hippocampal Activity during Autobiographical Memory Recall in Patients with Depression. Brain Behavior and Immunity 56:335-342.

Young, K., Drevets, W.C., Schulkin, J., Erickson, K. Dose-dependent effects of hydrocortisone infusion of autobiographical memory recall. Behav Neurosci. 2011: 125(5):735-41. PubMed PMID: 21942435.