A Sampling of Brain and Emotions Expertise on Campus

Here are some leading figures in University of Wisconsin-Madison brain and emotions research:

Richard Davidson, professor of psychology
(608) 262-8972; rjdavids@facstaff.wisc.edu
Davidson is director of the W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, the Center for the Study of Mind-Body Interaction and the Wisconsin Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience. His groundbreaking research using imaging technology has identified specific brain circuits and structures involved in negative and positive emotions. He is the winner of a prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, known as a "genius grant."

Ned Kalin, professor of psychiatry
(608) 263-6079; nkalin@facstaff.wisc.edu
Kalin is director of the HealthEmotions Research Institute and chair of the UW Medical School Department of Psychiatry. He has pioneered research on the biology of fear, teasing apart the neurochemical processes that give rise to different kinds of fear in monkeys. The results may lead to new ways to treat anxiety, depression and other disorders in humans. Recent studies involve tracking the psychological and physiological effects of positive emotions.

Seth Pollak, assistant professor of psychology
(608) 265-8190; spollak@facstaff.wisc.edu
Pollak is as assistant professor of psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics and an investigator at the Waisman Center. Director of the Child Emotions Research Lab, Pollak studies how emotional and physical abuse and neglect influence development in children. Using technology that measures brain activity, Pollak's work has shown that sustained maltreatment of children can trigger changes in the brain, altering a child's ability to normally process and control emotions such as anger. He also works with adopted children from East European orphanages who have experienced neglect.

Ann Kelley professor of psychiatry
(608) 262-1123; aekelley@macc.wisc.edu
Kelley concentrates on the neurobiology of motivation and addiction. She is interested in the way drugs of abuse -- including cocaine, heroin, amphetamine and nicotine -- affect the brain and why they are so addictive. She also studies certain brain structures and chemicals that process pleasurable aspects of food, hoping to learn why sweet-tasting and high-fat foods are so rewarding.

Christopher Coe, professor of psychology
(608) 263-3550, prilab@macc.wisc.edu
Director of the Harlow Primate Lab, Coe focuses on the influence of psychological and environmental factors, particularly stress, on the immune system. He has studied the impact of academic exams on student immune responses, and the effects of stress in triggering or worsening asthma attacks. He is currently studying the connection between psychological outlook and recovery for a group of women who have fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.

Hill Goldsmith, professor of psychology
(608) 263-4735, hhgoldsm@facstaff.wisc.edu
Goldsmith conducts long-term studies of infants, young children and their families, with a focus on twins, to help identify the mix of genetic and environmental factors that form our temperament and emotional makeup. He is also studying the role of temperament during significant life transitions, and developmental factors in childhood autism.

Steven Shelton, distinguished researcher in psychiatry
(608) 263-0837; sheltons@facstaff.wisc.edu
Shelton has studied behavior, neurochemistry and neuroendocrinology in non-human primates for nearly 30 years. Most of his work has been with rhesus monkeys housed at the Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center; in recent years he has overseen projects involving free-ranging monkeys on Cayo Santiago, a small island off Puerto Rico.

Paul Whalen, assistant professor of psychiatry
(608) 263-5127; pwhalen@facstaff.wisc.edu
Whalen is a neurobiologist who uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) to analyze the effects of emotional stimuli on the brain structure called the amygdala. His studies are showing that this portion of the brain plays a broad role in detecting and processing biologically relevant information. Visit Whalen's laboratory Web site.

Carol Ryff, professor of psychology
(608) 262-1818, cryff@facstaff.wisc.edu
Director of the Institute on Aging, Ryff studies resilience, the ability of some people to maintain positive outlooks in the face of adversity. She especially focuses on resilience in the elderly, who can experience more serious setbacks such as health problems, loss of loved ones and reduced independence. Her goal is to identify whether resilience is a trait that can be learned or promoted in people, and whether it might help delay or prevent disease.

Marsha Seltzer, professor of social work
(608) 263-53-5760, mseltzer@waisman.wisc.edu
Interim director of the Waisman Center, Seltzer studies the family dynamics of caring for children who have developmental problems such as Down syndrome or autism, or mental illness such as schizophrenia. Her work focuses on the wide range of consequences, both positive and negative, to loved ones who provide home-based care for adult children who are ill or disabled.

Andrew Alexander, assistant professor of psychiatry and medical physics
(608) 265-6143; alexander@psyphw.psych.wisc.edu
Alexander played a major role in designing the new W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior. He is an expert on magnetic resonance imaging technology.

Andrew Roberts, assistant professor of psychiatry and medical physics
(608) 265-6619; roberts@cema.mesphysics.wisc.edu
Roberts played a major role in designing the new W. M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior. In addition to serving as the lab's chief physicist, he conducts studies on brain chemistry using positron emission tomography.

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