Publications

Sleep and circadian rhythms, the 24-hour cycles of the body’s physiological processes, are important components of health. Likewise, disruptions in these systems are linked to a number of health conditions, including substance abuse. The developmental changes in sleep and circadian rhythms that occur during adolescence leave teenagers particularly vulnerable to addiction. A review recently published in the journal...

Despite being common and impairing, bipolar II disorder (BD II) is a neglected condition. BD II is characterized by multiple recurrent depressive episodes punctuated by infrequent hypomanic episodes. In one longitudinal study, the ratio of depressive to hypomanic episodes over time was 30:1. Thus, BD II is dominated by depression which, though less striking than mania (a more severe form of hypomania), can be the...

Circadian rhythms are near 24-hour oscillations controlling many aspects of physiology and behavior. The coordination and orchestration of these rhythms maintain homeostasis throughout the body. Evidence from humans suggests disruptions to circadian rhythms and sleep are linked to several psychiatric disorders, including substance use and abuse disorders. Indeed, several human and animal studies have demonstrated...

Carla Mazefsky, PhD, along with Paul Pilkonis, PhD and other colleagues recently published an article, “The Emotion Dysregulation Inventory: Psychometric Properties and Item Response Theory Calibration in an Autism Spectrum Disorder Sample,” in Autism Research. Dr. Mazefsky answers some pertinent questions regarding the study below. 1. What was the goal of your research? Poor emotion regulation, defined as...

Research consistently demonstrates that common polymorphic variation in monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) moderates the influence of childhood maltreatment on later antisocial behavior in males, with growing evidence that the “risk” allele (high vs. low activity) differs in females. These findings underscore the need for continued research regarding this gene by environment interaction (GxE) in female samples. Moreover...