Arts and Sciences in the News

Bennett Poiset Conducts Research at CUTA Lab

Friday, December 13, 2019

Psychology junior Bennett Poisett assists with research at the SDSU Center for Understanding and Treating Anxiety (CUTA). At CUTA, Bennett studies Event Related Potentials using an EEG which measures brain waves from the scalp. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) are a measured brain response that is the direct result of a specific, time locked episode. The ERP they study is the Error Related Negativity (ERN), which occurs when an individual makes a behavioral error. In looking at ERPs, the goals are: to develop programs to help equip people with the tools to fight anxiety; to examine anxiety and brain development in teens; and to understand the effect of a computerized training program on anxiety. Bennett is conducting a multi year study in order to examine whether the ERN is a modifiable biomarker of risk among a large sample of higher-risk adolescents. They achieve this via the implementation of an Attention Modification Program (AMP) designed to modify cognitive biases. This is predicated on the attentional and interpretation biases observed in various disorders, including OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), Major Depressive Disorder, and GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). The Attention Modification Program is shown to lower overall feelings of anxiety towards salient stimuli. "My time at the CUTA lab has been a worthwhile and engaging experience." -Bennett Poiset