My research is focused on identifying how changes to the hippocampal network contribute to progression of psychopathology and cognitive impairments in psychotic disorders. I use systems and cognitive neuroscience approaches to study the brain and brain networks, as well as multiple levels of analysis, including neuroimaging (structural, activation, connectivity) and behavioral assessment (memory, attention, eye movement).
Currently, we are conducting a study to examine how hippocampal microstructural integrity is altered in schizophrenia and how these alterations relate to individual differences in memory and functional outcomes. Through this work we aim to identify new ways to track and predict the progression of memory impairments in psychosis and their impact on clinical symptoms and function in daily life.
Representative Publications
Avery, Suzanne N, Kristan Armstrong, Maureen McHugo, Simon Vandekar, Jennifer Urbano Blackford, Neil D Woodward, and Stephan Heckers. “Relational Memory in the Early Stage of Psychosis: A 2-Year Follow-up Study.” Schizophrenia Bulletin 47, no. 1 (July 13, 2020): 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbaa081.
Avery, Suzanne N., Baxter P. Rogers, Maureen McHugo, Kristan Armstrong, Jennifer Urbano Blackford, Simon N. Vandekar, Neil D. Woodward, and Stephan Heckers. “Hippocampal Network Dysfunction in Early Psychosis: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study.” Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science 3, no. 4 (October 26, 2022): 979–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.10.002.
Avery, Suzanne N., Maureen McHugo, Kristan Armstrong, Jennifer U. Blackford, Simon Vandekar, Neil D. Woodward, and Stephan Heckers. “Habituation during Encoding: A New Approach to the Evaluation of Memory Deficits in Schizophrenia.” Schizophrenia Research 223 (September 2020): 179–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2020.07.007.
Avery, Suzanne N., Maureen McHugo, Kristan Armstrong, Jennifer Urbano Blackford, Neil D. Woodward, and Stephan Heckers. “Stable Habituation Deficits in the Early Stage of Psychosis: A 2-Year Follow-up Study.” Translational Psychiatry 11, no. 1 (2021): 20. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-01167-9.
Avery, Suzanne N., Anna S. Huang, Julia M. Sheffield, Baxter P. Rogers, Simon Vandekar, Alan Anticevic, and Neil D. Woodward. “Development of Thalamocortical Structural Connectivity in Typically Developing and Psychosis Spectrum Youths.” Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 7, no. 8 (October 14, 2022): 782–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.09.009.
