Special Topics in Abnormal Psychology: Anxiety and the Brain

Recent technological advances have provided us with windows into the workings of the human brain. This technology has been applied to understanding the neural bases of anxiety disorders and their treatment. Students in this course will learn about cutting edge research in the cognitive neuroscience of anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, specific phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder. The course will focus on mapping the core symptoms of these disorders onto brain structure and function, as well as on critical thinking in asking how studies of the brain add to our understanding of anxiety.