Keith Bush, Ph.D.
BBRF Grantee: 2017 – 2019
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Dr. Bush will employ a new technology known as real-time functional magnetic resonance (rtfMRI) imaging to test the effects of images on emotional regulation, which is dysregulated in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and other disorders ranging from depression and anxiety to PTSD and substance abuse. Human volunteers will look at emotionally charged images while researchers monitor their brain activity using rtfMRI. Dr. Bush aims to reveal a neural mechanism underlying the tactic of instructing psychiatric patients to focus on neutral or positive thoughts, one of the most popular strategies in cognitive behavioral therapy, which is frequently used in BPD.