The BRAINS (Brain Research And INternalizing Symptoms) Lab directed by Dr. Antonia Kaczkurkin at Vanderbilt University uses neuroimaging, psychophysiology, and advanced quantitative methods to study anxiety, depression, and related internalizing symptoms. Our work examines how these symptoms are organized, how they map onto brain systems, and why people with similar symptoms may differ in their underlying neurobiology. Our broader goal is to build knowledge that supports more precise approaches to mental health assessment, classification, and mechanistic understanding.
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Dimensionality
Measuring the dimensional rather than categorical nature of internalizing symptoms.
Comorbidity
Studying brain-behavior relationships in samples with naturally occurring comorbidities.
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Neurobiology
Examining the common and dissociable neurobiological substrates of internalizing symptoms.
Heterogeneity
Understanding neurobiological heterogeneity within internalizing psychopathology.
Dr. Antonia Kaczkurkin's new commentary, "Understanding emerging psychopathology through symptom networks – a commentary on Häfeli et al. (2026)," in JCPP Advances provides an overview on what symptom networks reveal about emerging adolescent psychopathology.
Ellis' paper, "Self-esteem and repetitive negative thinking as mediators of the association between bullying and disordered eating," has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. You can access the paper [here]. Congratulations, Kaitlynn, on this exciting accomplishment!
We're excited to welcome Lily Gisclair to the BRAINS Lab as our Lab Coordinator!
