Principal Investigators //


Nathaniel Anderson, PhD

Assistant Professor of Translational Neuroscience

Nathaniel Anderson, PhD

Dr. Anderson’s research focuses on fundamental neurocognitive abnormalities that promote risky, maladaptive behavior.  He is interested in behavioral manifestations of violence and impulsivity, substance use disorders and externalizing traits, as well as psychopathic personality traits and antisocial behavior. His work has utilized structural and functional MRI, functional network models, genetics, psychophysiology, and event-related potentials in EEG.  From a cognitive perspective, Dr. Anderson has focused on the integration of emotional processing and mechanisms of attention and how these processes scale up to influence decision-making and behavior.  Individuals with highly psychopathic traits provide an interesting model for how these systems go awry, and the serious consequences that result.  Dr. Anderson has carried out this research with adult and juvenile offenders, violent sex offenders, forensic psychiatric patients, as well as among non-incarcerated healthy populations.  He is particularly interested in the mediating and moderating factors that may improve long-range outcomes among those with emotional and cognitive vulnerabilities, and the development of novel intervention strategies among those at risk.  

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