Education & Training
- Ph.D.: Russia Academy of Science, 1987
- M.S.: Moscow State University, 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.
Recent Publications
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Trajectories of genetic risk across dimensions of alcohol use behaviors
COGA Investigators & Spit for Science Working Group, May 2026, In: Addiction. 121, 5, p. 1153-1165 13 p.
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The relationship between alcohol use disorder, measures of cognitive decline, and Alzheimer disease biomarkers in middle aged and older adults
Hayibor, L. A., Anokhin, A., Fisher, S. L., Goate, A., Foroud, T. M., Schindler, S. E., Bierut, L. J. & Hartz, S. M., Apr 2026, In: Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. 50, 4, e70278.
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The 10-year stability of three subscale scores of the Self-Report of the Effects of Alcohol measure and their relationship to changes in drinking quantities over the same period
Schuckit, M. A., Smith, T. L., Danko, G., Mendoza, L. A., Hesselbrock, V., Kuperman, S., Dong, F., Kamarajan, C., Chan, G., Wang, Y., Pandey, G., Miller, A. P., Plawecki, M. H. & Anokhin, A. P., Apr 2026, In: Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. 50, 4, e70269.
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What we have learned about adolescent mental health and where we are going after a decade with the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study
Baskin-Sommers, A., Gearing, D., Ramduny, J., Zhang, Z., Townsend, N., Dupree, C., Fink, C., Horenkamp, L., Karcher, N. R., Patel, H., Kemp, E. C., Moorman, B. A., Hagan, K. E., Sawyers, C., Potter, A., Cioffredi, L. A., West, A., Purcell, A., Ibe, O. & Kliamovich, D. & 17 others, , Apr 2026, In: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 78, 101686.
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Vertexwise Cortical Deviation Mapping (VCDM): A precision approach to cortical thickness assessment in non-affective psychosis
Mamah, D., Chen, S. S., Dong, F., Harms, M. P., Curtis, M. & Anokhin, A., Apr 2026, In: Brain Imaging and Behavior. 20, 2, 24.