Aoife O'Donovan, PhD

Principal Investigator

M_Psychiatry

+1 415 221-4810 ext. 24959

People who experience traumatic or enduring psychological stress are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders as well as cardiovascular, autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders. Our research is focused on revealing how psychological stress drives the development of mental and physical disorders. Specifically, we aim to identify the psychological and biological factors that account for the adverse effects of psychological stress, and ultimately to drive the development of targeted interventions to reduce such negative effects of stress. To this end, we are currently focused on uncovering stress-related changes in immune system functioning and on examining how such changes impact brain function and structure.

Publications:

Child abuse interacts with hippocampal and corpus callosum volume on psychophysiological response to startling auditory stimuli in a sample of veterans.

Journal of psychiatric research

Young DA, Neylan TC, Chao LL, O'Donovan A, Metzler TJ, Inslicht SS

Comparing anxiety and depression to obesity and smoking as predictors of major medical illnesses and somatic symptoms.

Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association

Niles AN, O'Donovan A

Altered overnight levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in men and women with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Küffer A, Straus LD, Prather AA, Inslicht SS, Richards A, Shigenaga JK, Madden E, Metzler TJ, Neylan TC, O'Donovan A

Association among anterior cingulate cortex volume, psychophysiological response, and PTSD diagnosis in a Veteran sample.

Neurobiology of learning and memory

Young DA, Chao L, Neylan TC, O'Donovan A, Metzler TJ, Inslicht SS

Effects of Threat Context, Trauma History, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Status on Physiological Startle Reactivity in Gulf War Veterans.

Journal of traumatic stress

Niles AN, Luxenberg A, Neylan TC, Inslicht SS, Richards A, Metzler TJ, Hlavin J, Deng J, O'Donovan A

Gender differences in longitudinal relationships between depression and anxiety symptoms and inflammation in the health and retirement study.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Niles AN, Smirnova M, Lin J, O'Donovan A

The interaction of BDNF Val66Met, PTSD, and child abuse on psychophysiological reactivity and HPA axis function in a sample of Gulf War Veterans.

Journal of affective disorders

Young DA, Neylan TC, O'Donovan A, Metzler T, Richards A, Ross JA, Inslicht SS

Personalizing affective stimuli using a recommender algorithm: An example with threatening words for trauma-exposed populations

Cognitive Therapy and Research

Niles, A.N. & O'Donovan, A.

Associations of Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Inflammation and Endothelial Function: On Timing, Specificity, and Mechanisms.

Biological psychiatry

O'Donovan A, Neylan TC

Sleep and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis responses to metyrapone in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Inslicht SS, Rao MN, Richards A, O'Donovan A, Gibson CJ, Baum T, Metzler TJ, Neylan TC

Dementia Risk in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: the Relevance of Sleep-Related Abnormalities in Brain Structure, Amyloid, and Inflammation.

Current psychiatry reports

Mohlenhoff BS, O'Donovan A, Weiner MW, Neylan TC

Sleep and Cognitive Performance From Teens To Old Age: More Is Not Better.

Sleep

Richards A, Inslicht SS, Metzler TJ, Mohlenhoff BS, Rao MN, O'Donovan A, Neylan TC

Current posttraumatic stress disorder and exaggerated threat sensitivity associated with elevated inflammation in the Mind Your Heart Study.

Brain, behavior, and immunity

O'Donovan A, Ahmadian AJ, Neylan TC, Pacult MA, Edmondson D, Cohen BE

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Adverse Childhood Events, and Buccal Cell Telomere Length in Elderly Swiss Former Indentured Child Laborers.

Frontiers in psychiatry

Küffer AL, O'Donovan A, Burri A, Maercker A

PTSD is associated with elevated inflammation: any impact on clinical practice?

Evidence-based mental health

O'Donovan A

Alteration of immune markers in a group of melancholic depressed patients and their response to electroconvulsive therapy.

Journal of affective disorders

Rush G, O'Donovan A, Nagle L, Conway C, McCrohan A, O'Farrelly C, Lucey JV, Malone KM

Becoming an Academic Researcher in Psychiatry: A View From the Trenches.

Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry

Ionescu DF, McAdams CJ, O'Donovan A, Philip NS

Associations of childhood adversity and adulthood trauma with C-reactive protein: A cross-sectional population-based study.

Brain, behavior, and immunity

Lin JE, Neylan TC, Epel E, O'Donovan A

Metabolic risk factors and posttraumatic stress disorder: the role of sleep in young, healthy adults.

Psychosomatic medicine

Talbot LS, Rao MN, Cohen BE, Richards A, Inslicht SS, O'Donovan A, Maguen S, Metzler TJ, Neylan TC

Anxiety is associated with higher levels of global DNA methylation and altered expression of epigenetic and interleukin-6 genes.

Psychiatric genetics

Murphy TM, O'Donovan A, Mullins N, O'Farrelly C, McCann A, Malone K

Perceived life stress exposure modulates reward-related medial prefrontal cortex responses to acute stress in depression.

Journal of affective disorders

Kumar P, Slavich GM, Berghorst LH, Treadway MT, Brooks NH, Dutra SJ, Greve DN, O'Donovan A, Bleil ME, Maninger N, Pizzagalli DA

Anger is associated with increased IL-6 stress reactivity in women, but only among those low in social support.

International journal of behavioral medicine

Puterman E, Epel ES, O'Donovan A, Prather AA, Aschbacher K, Dhabhar FS

Altered inflammatory activity associated with reduced hippocampal volume and more severe posttraumatic stress symptoms in Gulf War veterans.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

O'Donovan A, Chao LL, Paulson J, Samuelson KW, Shigenaga JK, Grunfeld C, Weiner MW, Neylan TC

Hyperinsulinemic response to oral glucose challenge in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Rao MN, Chau A, Madden E, Inslicht S, Talbot L, Richards A, O'Donovan A, Ruoff L, Grunfeld C, Neylan TC

Elevated risk for autoimmune disorders in iraq and afghanistan veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Biological psychiatry

O'Donovan A, Cohen BE, Seal KH, Bertenthal D, Margaretten M, Nishimi K, Neylan TC

Sex differences in neurosteroid and hormonal responses to metyrapone in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Psychopharmacology

Inslicht SS, Richards A, Madden E, Rao MN, O'Donovan A, Talbot LS, Rucker E, Metzler TJ, Hauger RL, Neylan TC

Oxytocin administration enhances controlled social cognition in patients with schizophrenia.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Woolley JD, Chuang B, Lam O, Lai W, O'Donovan A, Rankin KP, Mathalon DH, Vinogradov S

Inflammation and depression: unraveling the complex interplay in inflammatory bowel disease.

Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition

O'Donovan A

Implicit measurement of positive and negative future thinking as a predictor of depressive symptoms and hopelessness.

Consciousness and cognition

Kosnes L, Whelan R, O'Donovan A, McHugh LA

Suicidal ideation is associated with elevated inflammation in patients with major depressive disorder.

Depression and anxiety

O'Donovan A, Rush G, Hoatam G, Hughes BM, McCrohan A, Kelleher C, O'Farrelly C, Malone KM

Good stress, bad stress and oxidative stress: insights from anticipatory cortisol reactivity.

Psychoneuroendocrinology

Aschbacher K, O'Donovan A, Wolkowitz OM, Dhabhar FS, Su Y, Epel E

Exaggerated neurobiological sensitivity to threat as a mechanism linking anxiety with increased risk for diseases of aging.

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews

O'Donovan A, Slavich GM, Epel ES, Neylan TC

Educational attainment and late life telomere length in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study.

Brain, behavior, and immunity

Adler N, Pantell MS, O'Donovan A, Blackburn E, Cawthon R, Koster A, Opresko P, Newman A, Harris TB, Epel E

Lifetime exposure to traumatic psychological stress is associated with elevated inflammation in the Heart and Soul Study.

Brain, behavior, and immunity

O'Donovan A, Neylan TC, Metzler T, Cohen BE

Stress appraisals and cellular aging: a key role for anticipatory threat in the relationship between psychological stress and telomere length.

Brain, behavior, and immunity

O'Donovan A, Tomiyama AJ, Lin J, Puterman E, Adler NE, Kemeny M, Wolkowitz OM, Blackburn EH, Epel ES

Does cellular aging relate to patterns of allostasis? An examination of basal and stress reactive HPA axis activity and telomere length.

Physiology & behavior

Tomiyama AJ, O'Donovan A, Lin J, Puterman E, Lazaro A, Chan J, Dhabhar FS, Wolkowitz O, Kirschbaum C, Blackburn E, Epel E

Shorter leukocyte telomere length in midlife women with poor sleep quality.

Journal of aging research

Prather AA, Puterman E, Lin J, O'Donovan A, Krauss J, Tomiyama AJ, Epel ES, Blackburn EH

Physical activity moderates effects of stressor-induced rumination on cortisol reactivity.

Psychosomatic medicine

Puterman E, O'Donovan A, Adler NE, Tomiyama AJ, Kemeny M, Wolkowitz OM, Epel E

Cumulative inflammatory load is associated with short leukocyte telomere length in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study.

PloS one

O'Donovan A, Pantell MS, Puterman E, Dhabhar FS, Blackburn EH, Yaffe K, Cawthon RM, Opresko PL, Hsueh WC, Satterfield S, Newman AB, Ayonayon HN, Rubin SM, Harris TB, Epel ES

Access to social support in life and in the laboratory: combined impact on cardiovascular reactivity to stress and state anxiety.

Journal of health psychology

O'Donovan A, Hughes BM

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Aoife O'Donovan, PhD

Stress and Health Research Program