Joseph Laboratory

Our lab uses both standard fMRI mapping and functional connectivity analyses as tools to understand neural organization in normative populations and among men and women with various neurological, psychiatric and addictive disorders. My current and recent projects are focused on using functional connectome analysis to identify risk profiles for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) due to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). More specifically, these projects are focused on building functional brain network models from resting state or task-based fMRI data and diffusional kurtosis imaging data in AD, then transferring the AD network models to the at-risk samples (MCI, TBI, and AUD). Network description is based on graph-theory measures of functional or structural connectivity and model building and transfer use machine learning approaches. The goal of these studies is to determine whether AD network disruptions are present in the at-risk groups as a means for early detection of AD.

Research:
Using Connectomics to Characterize Risk for Alzheimer's Disease
This study uses neuroimaging to understand how the connections in the brain change in Alzheimer's Disease. Changes are examined in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and healthy aging. The goal is to discover which brain changes are present in healthy aging and MCI so that future studies can assess the risk for developing Alzheimer's Disease. The study involves blood draw, cognitive testing, MRI, PET scanning, and a 1-year follow-up visit to repeat cognitive testing and MRI scanning.

Connectome Biomarkers for Predicting Alzheimer's Risk in Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic Brain Injury is a risk factor for Alzheimer's Disease and other dementias. This study uses neuroimaging in Veterans and civilians with a history of TBI or without TBI to understand whether some of the brain changes that occur in Alzheimer's Disease are present in people with a history of TBI. The study is recruiting male and female military Veterans or civilians with or without TBI between the ages of 30 and 65.


Team:
Director
Jane Joseph, Ph.D.; Professor
Department of Neurosciences
Principal Investigator
josep@musc.edu

Staff and Students
Graham Warner, Graduate Student
warnergr@musc.edu

Kyle Blidy, Graduate Student
blidy@musc.edu

Jory Crull, M.S., Research Specialist
crullj@musc.edu

Joseph Laboratory Recent Publications (2020-present):
Gwynette, M. F., Lowe, D. W., Henneberry, E. A., Wiley, M. G., Alsarraf, H., Russo, S. B., Joseph, J. E., Summers, P. M., Lohnes, L., Sahlem, G. L., & George, M. S. (2020). Treatment of Adults with Autism and Major Depressive Disorder using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: An Open Label Pilot Study. Autism Research. PMID: 31944611 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2266

Back, S., Gray, K., Santa Anna, E., Jones, J. L., Jarnecke, A., Joseph, J. E., Prisciandaro, J., Killeen, T., Brown, D. G., Taimina, L., Compean, E., Malcolm, R., Flanagan, J. C., & Kalivas, P. W. (2020). N-acetylcysteine for the Treatment of Comorbid Alcohol Use Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Design and Methodology of a Randomized Clinical Trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials. PMID: 32087337. DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.105961

Sherman, B. J., Baker, N. L., Brady, K. T., Joseph, J. E., Nunn, L. M., & McRae-Clark, A. (2020). The effect of oxytocin, gender, and ovarian hormones on stress reactivity in individuals with cocaine use disorder. Psychopharmacology, 237: 2031-2042. PMID: 32388622

Baer D. R., Lawson A. B., & Joseph J. E. Joint Space-Time Bayesian Disease Mapping via Quantification of Disease Risk Association (2021). Stat Methods Med Res, 30(1): 35-61.

Crum, K. I., Flanagan, J. C., Vaughan, B., Moran-Santa Maria, M. M., Back, S., Brady, K. T. & Joseph, J. (2021). Oxytocin, PTSD, and sexual abuse are associated with attention network intrinsic functional connectivity. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 316:111345. PMCID: PMC8478844 (available on 2022-10-30)

Sippel, L. M., Flanagan, J. C., Holtzheimer, P. E., Moran-Santa Maria, M. M., Brady, K. T., Joseph, J. E. (2021). Effects of intranasal oxytocin on threat- and reward-related functional connectivity in men and women with and without childhood abuse-related PTSD. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 317:111368. PMCID: PMC8572525 (available on 2022-11-30)

Ekhtiari, H., … Joseph, J.E. … et al. (2022). A methodological checklist for fMRI cue reactivity studies: Development and expert consensus. Nature Protocols, 17, 567-595. PMID: 35121856 PMCID: PMC9063851 (available on 2023-03-01) DOI: 10.1038/s41596-021-00649-4

Huggins, A. A., McTeague, L. M., Davis, M. M., Bustos, N., Crum, K., Polcyn, R., Adams, Z. W., Carpenter, L. A., Hajcak, G., Halliday, C. A., Joseph, J. E., & Danielson, C. K. (2022). Neighborhood disadvantage associated with blunted amygdala reactivity to predictable and unpredictable threat in a community sample of youth. Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, 2, 242-252. PMID: 35928141 PMCID: PMC9348572 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.03.006

Beltz, A. M., Demidenko, M. I., Chaku, N., Klump, K. L. & Joseph, J. E. (2022). Intrauterine Device Use: A New Frontier for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology. Frontiers Endocrinology, 13:853714. PMID: 35937811 PMCID: PMC9352855 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.853714

Joseph, J. E., Bustos, N., Crum, K., Flanagan, J., Baker, N., Hartwell, K., Moran Santa-Maria, M., Brady, K. T., & McRae-Clark, A. (2022). Oxytocin Moderates Corticolimbic Social Stress Reactivity in Cocaine Use Disorder and Healthy Controls. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology, 11:100150. PMID: 35967924 PMCID: PMC9363641 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100150

Back, S. E., Flanagan, J. C., Mintz, J., Brady, K. T., Jones, J., Jarnecke, A. M., Joseph, J. E., Shirley, D. W., Malcom, R. J., Hamner, M., Litz, B. T., Niles, B. L., Young-McCaughan, S., Keane, T. M., Peterson, A. L., for the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD (2023). A Double-blind Randomized Controlled Trial of Doxazosin for Co-occurring PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder in Veterans. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 84 (2):21m14367 . PMID: 36883885. doi: 10.4088/JCP.21m14367

Back, S. E., Flanagan, J. C., Killeen, T., Saraiya, T. C., Brown, D. G., Jarnecke, A. M., Rothbaum, A. O., Joseph, J. E., Santa Ana, E., de Arellano, A., Shoemaker, H. L., Dixon, R. A, Nietert, P. J., & Brady, K. T. (2023). COPE and oxytocin for the treatment of co-occurring PTSD and alcohol use disorder: Design and methodology of a randomized controlled trial in U.S. military veterans. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 126:107084. PMID: 36646315 DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107084

Sege C. T., McTeague L. M., Kegley M., Shacklewood C., Halliday C.A., Calhoun C.D., Joseph J. E., Adams Z. W., Hajcak G., & Kmett Danielson C. (2023). Neurophysiology of predictable unpleasant event processing in pre-adolescents and early adolescents, part I: Event-related potential markers of unpleasant image anticipation and processing. Developmental Psychobiology, 65 (4):e22383. PMID: 37073594. doi: 10.1002/dev.22383

Sege C. T., Mcteague L. M., Kegley M., Shacklewood C., Halliday C.A., Calhoun C.D., Joseph J. E., Adams Z. W., Hajcak G., & Kmett Danielson C. (2023). Neurophysiology of predictable unpleasant event processing in pre-adolescents and early adolescents, part II: Reflex and event-related potential markers of defensive reactivity and peripheral attention modulation. Developmental Psychobiology, 65 (4):e22386. PMID: 37073586. doi: 10.1002/dev.22386

Turner, T. H., Scott, E. P., Barlis, K. B., Rodriguez-Porcel, F., Sartori, A. C., & Joseph, J. (2023). The Rapid Access Memory Program (RAMP) for addressing concerns of incipient dementia in academic primary care settings. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 37, 255-262. PMID: 38156442 DOI: 10.1177/08919887231225482

Nowling, D., Crum, K. I., Joseph, J. E. (2024). Sex Differences in Development of Functional Connections in the Face Processing Network. Journal of Neuroimaging, 34, 280-290. PMID: 38169075 PMCID: PMC10939922 (available on 2025-03-01) DOI: 10.1111/jon.13185