Education & Training
- PhD: Russia Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 1987
- MS: Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 1981
Research Interests
My research is concerned with linking genetics, brain function, and behavior for a better understanding of the determinants and consequences of substance use disorders and related psychopathology. A major theoretical premise of this work is that a deficit in prefrontally mediated inhibitory self-regulation of behavior constitutes a core component of vulnerability to substance use disorders (SUDs) and related externalizing psychopathology. A detailed characterization of the “disinhibitory” deficit, its genetic bases, developmental trajectory, and pathways by which it leads to addictive behaviors requires an integrative, multidisciplinary approach that combines genetics, cognitive neuroscience, and behavioral assessments. Accordingly, my laboratory is conducting interdisciplinary studies using a combination of neurophysiological (EEG/ERP) methods, neuropsychological, behavioral, and self-report assessments and, more recently, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). One major goal of these studies is to identify neurocognitive characteristics, or “endophenotypes”, mediating genetic risk for substance use disorders and associated psychopathology using statistical analysis of twin data and molecular genetic methods. Another major goal of our studies is to determine how the use of substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana leads to long-term changes in brain function, cognition, and behavior. To achieve this goal, we are conducting prospective longitudinal studies and analyzing data from twin pairs who are discordant for substance use.
Key Publications
- Anokhin AP, Grant JD, Mulligan RC, Heath AC, (2015 May). The genetics of impulsivity: evidence for the heritability of delay discounting. Biol. Psychiatry. 77(10): 887-94.
Read publication »The genetics of impulsivity: evidence for the heritability of delay discounting. - Anokhin AP, Golosheykin S, Grant JD, Heath AC, (2017 May). Heritability of brain activity related to response inhibition: A longitudinal genetic study in adolescent twins. Int J Psychophysiol. 115: 112-124.
Read publication »Heritability of brain activity related to response inhibition: A longitudinal genetic study in adolescent twins. - Anokhin AP, Golosheykin S, (2015 Dec). Neural correlates of error monitoring in adolescents prospectively predict initiation of tobacco use. Dev Cogn Neurosci. 16: 166-173.
Read publication »Neural correlates of error monitoring in adolescents prospectively predict initiation of tobacco use. - Anokhin AP, Golosheykin S, Grant JD, Heath AC, (2011 Mar). Heritability of delay discounting in adolescence: a longitudinal twin study. Behav. Genet.. 41(2): 175-83.
Read publication »Heritability of delay discounting in adolescence: a longitudinal twin study. - Anokhin AP, (2014 Aug). Genetic psychophysiology: advances, problems, and future directions. Int J Psychophysiol. 93(2): 173-97.
Read publication »Genetic psychophysiology: advances, problems, and future directions. - Anokhin AP, Golosheykin S, Heath AC, (2008 Jul). Heritability of frontal brain function related to action monitoring. Psychophysiology. 45(4): 524-34.
Read publication »Heritability of frontal brain function related to action monitoring.
Funded Research Projects
NICHD(PI):Genetics, the Adolescent Brain, and Addiction Liability: A Longitudinal Twin Study
NIDA(PI):Neurocognitive Consequences of Adolescent Marijuana Use
NIDA(PI):Test-Retest Reliability of Putative fMRI Endophenotypes for Substance Abuse Risk
NIAAA(Significant Contributor):Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA)