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Katharine Thakkar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University. She received her PhD in Psychology from Vanderbilt University in 2012 and holds two bachelor's degrees from Boston University, one in Psychology and another in Mathematics, both obtained in 2004. Her research program aims to understand the biological basis of psychotic disorders, particularly schizophrenia. She utilizes translational methods rooted in animal neurophysiology to investigate the foundational elements of impaired cognition and disrupted social abilities that characterize psychosis. Her work focuses on understanding the cognitive and emotional symptoms of schizophrenia and how they are linked to specific disturbances in functional circuitry. Thakkar's investigations include the use of advanced techniques such as eye tracking, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), along with behavioral experiments and first-person accounts of experiences. Through her work in the Clinical Neuroscience Lab, she seeks to develop targeted behavioral and pharmacological treatment options for individuals suffering from these disorders.
Department of Psychology