John G. Kerns
In general, I do research on the psychological and neural basis of cognitive and emotional control, factors that diminish control such as aberrant salience, and the development of schizophrenia and its symptoms (e.g., psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms such as anhedonia).
In current studies, we are especially focusing on the nature of psychosis risk, including the involvement of striatal dysfunction, and how psychosis risk can be ameliorated.
Karcher, N. R., Hua, J. P. Y., & Kerns, J. G. (in press). Striatum-related functional activation during reward- versus punishment-based learning in psychosis risk. Neuropsychopharmacology.
Hua, J. P. Y., Karcher, N. R., Merrill, A. M., O’Brien, K. J., Straub, K. T., Trull, T. J., & Kerns, J. G. (2019). Psychosis risk is associated with decreased resting-state functional connectivity between the striatum and the default mode network. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience, 19, 998-1011.
Karcher, N. R., Hua, J. P. Y., & Kerns, J. G. (2019). Probabilistic category learning and striatal functional activation in psychosis risk. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 45, 396-404.
Karcher, N. R., Bartholow, B. D., Martin, E. A., & Kerns, J. G. (2017). Associations between electrophysiological evidence of reward and punishment-based learning and psychotic experiences and social anhedonia in at-risk groups. Neuropsychopharmacology, 42, 925-932.
Karcher, N. R., Martin, E. A., & Kerns, J. G. (2015). Examining associations between psychosis risk, social anhedonia, and performance of striatum-related behavioral tasks. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 124, 507-518.
Cicero, D. C., Docherty, A. R., Martin, E.A., Becker, T.M., & Kerns, J. G. (2015). Aberrant salience, self-concept clarity, and interview-rated psychotic-like experiences. Journal of Personality Disorders, 29, 79-99.
Cicero, D. C., Martin, E.A., Becker, T.M., Docherty, A. R., & Kerns, J. G. (2014). Correspondence between psychometric and clinical high risk for psychosis in an undergraduate population. Psychological Assessment, 26, 901-915.
Martin, E.A., Becker, T.M., Cicero, D.C., & Kerns, J.G. (2013). Examination of affective and cognitive interference in schizophrenia and relation to symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 122, 733-744.