PTSD & Loneliness: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective
Description
Many researchers have investigated the long-term effects of witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event on cognitive functioning, but few have described the negative impact on social functioning. Humans are inherently social creatures, and there is increasing evidence that the subsequent development of the cluster of symptoms experienced by many with severe trauma, collectively known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), affects the subjective and neural representation of social connection to others. Join me as I take a cognitive neuroscience perspective on what we know about PTSD, loneliness, and the future of research on this topic.
Speaker Bio
Omar is a veteran of the Iraq War focused on understanding the neural correlates of PTSD in veterans and civilians alike using a variety of imaging methods, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). After serving the in the US Army as an infantry soldier, Omar obtained a Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Masters in Biomedical Imaging from the University of California, San Francisco. He is currently working on several projects, including the Brain/Body Study, a research project geared to understand the interplay between brain activity and peripheral physiological measurements in subjects with PTSD.
Additional Info
Upcoming Cog Lunch Talks:
October 13, 2020 - Jennifer Hu and Catherine Wong
October 20, 2020 - João Loula and Yuan Bian