Bradly Stone, Ph.D.
I received my B.S. in Biopsychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Upon graduating, I accepted a position at a private neurophysiological company under the principal investigator, Dr. Robin R. Johnson, where I conducted clinical and non-clinical human subject studies focused on the assessment of emotion and empathy, neurophysiological biofeedback, and teaming dynamics using EEG and fMRI. Thereafter, I redirected my research trajectory to focus on a bottom-up approach and pursued a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Brandeis University under the mentorship of Dr. Donald B. Katz. There, I employed in vivo electrophysiology and high-dimensional data analyses to assess the gating function that (hormonal and pharmacologically-induced) internal states have on consummatory behaviors and neural dynamics in the adult rat. As a postdoc in the Maguire Lab, I will continue probing the role of state-modulated behaviors through examining how stressors during development alter the signaling cascades in regions (i.e. ventral tegmental area, basolateral amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex) known to regulate motivated behaviors. The goal of this work is to provide a model for how psychiatric disorders, such as substance use disorders, may emerge through improper engagement of network communication.