Kelly Courtney, PhD

Graduate Institution

University of California, Los Angeles

Research Description

Dr. Courtney is an Assistant Professor and licensed Clinical Psychologist in the UCSD Department of Psychiatry. Her program of research is centered on discovering the neurobiological and psychophysiological mechanisms that underlie the development and maintenance of alcohol and other substance addiction in order to inform intervention efforts. She is particularly interested in the concept of substance craving as it represents an important phenotype of addiction with great potential for intervention. Her work includes the use of various forms of psychophysiological (e.g., eye-tracking, skin conductance), neuropsychological, and neuroimaging techniques (e.g., fMRI, CBF, EEG, fNIRS), depending on the question of interest. She is also interested in the use of virtual reality to improve our ability to assess and ultimately treat substance addiction.

Representative Publications

• Courtney, K. E., Ghahremani, D. G., & Ray, L. A. (2016). The Effects of Pharmacological Opioid Blockade on Neural Measures of Drug Cue-Reactivity in Humans. Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(12), 2872-2881. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2016.99

• Courtney, K. E., Infante, M. A., Bordyug, M., Simmons, A. N., & Tapert, S. F. (2020). Prospective Associations between BOLD Markers of Response Inhibition and the Transition to Frequent Binge Drinking. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 44(2), 463-469. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.14261

• Courtney, K. E., Infante, M. A., Brown, G. G., Tapert, S. F., Simmons, A. N., Smith, T. L., & Schuckit, M. A. (2019). The Relationship Between Regional Cerebral Blood Flow Estimates and Alcohol Problems at 5-Year Follow-Up: The Role of Level of Response. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 43(5), 812-821. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.13998

Collaborators

Susan Tapert, Ph.D. / Joanna Jacobus, Ph.D. / Jurgen Schulze, Ph.D. / Neal Doran, Ph.D.