Marc Potenza, PhD, MD
Steven M. Southwick Professor of Psychiatry and Professor in the Child Study Center and of NeuroscienceCards
Appointments
Additional Titles
Director, Center of Excellence in Gambling Research
Director, Yale Program for Research on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders
Director, Women and Addictive Disorders, Women's Health Research at Yale
Contact Info
Psychiatry
I Church Street, 7th floor
New Haven, CT 06510
United States
Appointments
Additional Titles
Director, Center of Excellence in Gambling Research
Director, Yale Program for Research on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders
Director, Women and Addictive Disorders, Women's Health Research at Yale
Contact Info
Psychiatry
I Church Street, 7th floor
New Haven, CT 06510
United States
Appointments
Additional Titles
Director, Center of Excellence in Gambling Research
Director, Yale Program for Research on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders
Director, Women and Addictive Disorders, Women's Health Research at Yale
Contact Info
Psychiatry
I Church Street, 7th floor
New Haven, CT 06510
United States
About
Titles
Steven M. Southwick Professor of Psychiatry and Professor in the Child Study Center and of Neuroscience
Director, Center of Excellence in Gambling Research; Director, Yale Program for Research on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders; Director, Women and Addictive Disorders, Women's Health Research at Yale
Biography
Dr. Potenza is a board-certified psychiatrist with sub-specialty training and certification in addiction psychiatry. He has trained at Yale University receiving a combined BS/MS with Honors in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics and a PhD in Cell Biology, the latter concurrent with the MD through the Medical Scientist Training Program. He completed internship, psychiatric residency and addiction psychiatry fellowship training at Yale. Currently, he is a Professor of Psychiatry, Child Study and Neuroscience at the Yale University School of Medicine where he is Director of the Division on Addictions Research at Yale, the Center of Excellence in Gambling Research, the Yale Research Program on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders, and the Women and Addictive Disorders Core of Women's Health Research at Yale. He is also a Senior Scientist at the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling. He is on the editorial boards of fifteen journals (including editor-in-chief of Current Addiction Reports) and has received multiple national and international awards for excellence in research and clinical care. He has consulted to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Registry of Effective Programs, National Institutes of Health, American Psychiatric Association and World Health Organization on matters of addiction.
Appointments
Psychiatry
ProfessorPrimaryChild Study Center
ProfessorSecondaryNeuroscience
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Addictive Behaviors Core
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Center for Nicotine and Tobacco Use Research at Yale (CENTURY)
- Child Study Center
- Connecticut Mental Health Center
- Diabetes Research Center
- Division of Addictions
- Division of Human Genetics
- Division of Women's Behavioral Health Research
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
- MR Center
- Neuroscience
- Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP)
- Neuroscience Track
- Psychiatry
- Psychotherapy Development Center
- Stress & Addiction Clinical Research Program
- Substance Abuse Research
- WHRY Research Cores
- Women's Health Research at Yale
- Wu Tsai Institute
- Yale Cocaine Research Clinic
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Program for Research on Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorders
- Yale Stress Center
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Addiction Psychiatry Fellow
- Yale (1999)
- Resident
- Yale (1998)
- MD
- Yale University School of Medicine (1994)
- PhD
- Yale University (1993)
Research
Overview
Dr. Potenza's research has focused on the neurobiology and treatment of substance and non-substance addictions and other disorders characterized by impaired impulse control, particularly the disorders characterized in DSM-IV as “Impulse Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified” and in DSM-5 and ICD-11 as behavioral addictions. He has focused on internet use behaviors and disorders such as gaming disorder and problematic pornography use, as well as compulsive sexual behavior disorder, binge eating disorder and food addiction. He has investigated mechanisms underlying the treatment of cocaine and opioid use disorders, as well as the neural correlates of prenatal cocaine use. Much of this work has focused on understanding clinical and neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders and experiences, and their co-occurrences with other mental health disorders, in order to advance prevention and treatment strategies. Dr. Potenza's research has applied brain imaging, genetic, epidemiological and clinical trials methodologies to gain knowledge and improve prevention and treatment strategies for addictive disorders. This work has also involved a specific focus on gender and identifying potential intermediary phenotypes, like facets of impulsivity, that may in part explain the high rates of co-occurrence between addictive disorders and other mental health conditions, and might represent novel targets for prevention and treatment strategies.
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
ORCID
0000-0002-6323-1354- View Lab Website
Impulsivity and Impulse Control Disorder Research Program
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Linda Mayes, MD
Elina A. Stefanovics, PhD
Sarah Yip, PhD
Helena Rutherford, PhD
Patrick Worhunsky, DPhil
Rani Hoff, MPH, PhD
Gambling
Substance-Related Disorders
Psychotherapy
Publications
2024
Risk avoidance and social anxiety in adolescence: Examination of event-related potentials and theta-dynamics on the Balloon Risk Avoidance Task
Edgar E, Waugh A, Wu J, Castagna P, Potenza M, Mayes L, Crowley M. Risk avoidance and social anxiety in adolescence: Examination of event-related potentials and theta-dynamics on the Balloon Risk Avoidance Task. Brain And Cognition 2024, 180: 106209. PMID: 39137602, DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2024.106209.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLevels of social anxietySocially anxious youthSocial anxietyAnxious youthAvoidance taskSocial Phobia and Anxiety InventoryLow levels of social anxietyRisk avoidanceNeural correlatesAvoidance conditioningSuccessful avoidanceTheta dynamicsAnxiety InventoryTheta powerBehavioral correlatesAnxietyTheta responseFRNAdolescentsAvoidanceConcurrent electroencephalographySlow-waveYouthOscillatory dynamicsTaskLongitudinal Tracking of Alcohol Expectancies and their Associations with Impulsivity in Alcohol Naïve Youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study
Adams F, Ferster K, Morris L, Potenza M, Ivanov I, Parvaz M. Longitudinal Tracking of Alcohol Expectancies and their Associations with Impulsivity in Alcohol Naïve Youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Drug And Alcohol Dependence Reports 2024, 100271. DOI: 10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100271.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAdolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentAlcohol expectanciesAdolescent Brain Cognitive Development cohortLack of premeditationLack of perseveranceNegative alcohol expectanciesAlcohol use onsetDivergent developmental trajectoriesPositive urgencyBehavioral impulsivitySensation seekingTime-specific associationsCognitive developmentSelf-reportAlcohol useAlcohol initiationDevelopmental aspectsResults FindingsYouth agesLongitudinal developmentImpulseIntervention initiativesReduce underage drinkingAdolescentsYouthEvaluating the factor structure and measurement invariance of the 20-item short version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale across multiple countries, languages, and gender identities.
Fournier L, Bőthe B, Demetrovics Z, Koós M, Kraus S, Nagy L, Potenza M, Ballester-Arnal R, Batthyány D, Bergeron S, Briken P, Burkauskas J, Cárdenas-López G, Carvalho J, Castro-Calvo J, Chen L, Ciocca G, Corazza O, Csako R, Fernandez D, Fujiwara H, Fernandez E, Fuss J, Gabrhelík R, Gewirtz-Meydan A, Gjoneska B, Gola M, Grubbs J, Hashim H, Saiful Islam M, Ismail M, Jiménez-Martínez M, Jurin T, Kalina O, Klein V, Költő A, Lee S, Lewczuk K, Lin C, Lochner C, López-Alvarado S, Lukavská K, Mayta-Tristán P, Miller D, Orosová O, Orosz G, Ponce F, Quintana G, Quintero Garzola G, Ramos-Diaz J, Rigaud K, Rousseau A, De Tubino Scanavino M, Schulmeyer M, Sharan P, Shibata M, Shoib S, Sigre-Leirós V, Sniewski L, Spasovski O, Steibliene V, Stein D, Strizek J, Tsai M, Ünsal B, Vaillancourt-Morel M, Van Hout M, Billieux J. Evaluating the factor structure and measurement invariance of the 20-item short version of the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale across multiple countries, languages, and gender identities. Assessment 2024, 10731911241259560. PMID: 39054862, DOI: 10.1177/10731911241259560.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsUPPS-P Impulsive Behavior ScaleImpulsive Behavior ScaleUPPS-PPsychometric validationBehavior ScalePsychometric equivalenceShort versionFive-factor structureMeasurement invariance analysisConfirmatory factor analysisFactor structureGender identityMeasurement invarianceLanguage-relatedPsychometric instrumentsInvariance analysisFactor analysisGender diverse individualsNovel translationResearch settingsCountry of residenceSex surveysLanguageBehavioral modelIdentityStatistical predictors of the co-occurrence between gambling disorder and problematic pornography use
Mestre-Bach G, Potenza M, Granero R, Uríszar J, Fernández-Aranda F, Jiménez-Murcia S. Statistical predictors of the co-occurrence between gambling disorder and problematic pornography use. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2024, 178: 125-129. PMID: 39137720, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.07.033.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsProblematic pornography useCo-occurrence of GDGambling disorderEmotion dysregulationEmotion regulationImpulsivity levelsStructural equation modelingPornography useMaladaptive personality featuresCo-occurrenceHighest impulsivity levelProblematic Pornography Consumption ScaleMaladaptive personalityPsychopathological distressPersonality measuresMental disordersPersonality featuresShort versionPsychopathologyStatistical predictorsEquation modelingDisordersImpulseSociodemographic variablesYounger ageA comprehensive measure assessing different types of problematic use of the internet among Chinese adolescents: The Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11)
Saffari M, Chen C, Chen I, Ruckwongpatr K, Griffiths M, Potenza M, Wang X, Huang Y, Chen J, Tsai C, Lin C. A comprehensive measure assessing different types of problematic use of the internet among Chinese adolescents: The Assessment of Criteria for Specific Internet-use Disorders (ACSID-11). Comprehensive Psychiatry 2024, 134: 152517. PMID: 39018815, DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152517.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBergen Social Media Addiction ScaleSocial media useSocial Media Addiction ScaleInternet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short FormMedia useCross-cultural adaptationTranslation methodInternet-use disordersInternet-useOnline gamesWeb streamingOnline platformsAddiction ScaleProblematic useInternetComparative fit indexOnline surveyComprehensive measurePornographyConfirmatory factor analysisFour-factor solutionSpectrum of activityDifferent kindsCronbach's alphaMcDonaldW147 Neural and Behavioral Habituation to Sad Infant Stimuli in Mothers who Use Substances
McCurdy L, Yip S, Worhunsky P, Kim S, Strathearn L, Potenza M, Mayes L, Rutherford H. W147 Neural and Behavioral Habituation to Sad Infant Stimuli in Mothers who Use Substances. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2024, 260: 110848. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110848.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHealth information craving: Conceptualization, scale development and validation
Pian W, Zheng R, Potenza M, Chen L, Ma F. Health information craving: Conceptualization, scale development and validation. Information Processing & Management 2024, 61: 103717. DOI: 10.1016/j.ipm.2024.103717.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsAddictive behaviorsCompulsive seekingCraving ScaleCravingSub-scalesCyberchondriaNomological validityScale developmentValidity assessmentEmpirical examinationPositive relationshipMulti-dimensional structureHealth informationScaleSeekingDiverse reliabilityValidityBehaviorParticipantsOperationalizationHealthIndividualsContextHow health risk of COVID-19 resurgence may trigger individual tendencies regarding COVID-19-related cyberchondria: Investigating the I-PACE model
Pian W, Chen L, Potenza M, Zheng R, Ma F. How health risk of COVID-19 resurgence may trigger individual tendencies regarding COVID-19-related cyberchondria: Investigating the I-PACE model. Information Processing & Management 2024, 61: 103722. DOI: 10.1016/j.ipm.2024.103722.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsI-PACEIndividual's tendencyGeneral inhibitory controlI-PACE modelCOVID-19 health risksInhibitory controlModeration analysisDevelopment of cyberchondriaCyberchondriaPotential underlying mechanismsWell-beingBehavioral frameworkUnderlying mechanismsPerceived health risksCravingTendencyIndividualsModeratelyAltered Heart Rate Variability During Mobile Game Playing and Watching Self-Mobile Gaming in Individuals with Problematic Mobile Game Use: Implications for Cardiac Health
Chin S, Chang Y, Huang C, Chou T, Huang C, Lin H, Potenza M. Altered Heart Rate Variability During Mobile Game Playing and Watching Self-Mobile Gaming in Individuals with Problematic Mobile Game Use: Implications for Cardiac Health. Psychology Research And Behavior Management 2024, 17: 2545-2555. PMID: 38973973, PMCID: PMC11226189, DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s469240.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMobile gamesMobile game useMobile game playMobile-gamingHeart rate variabilityGame playInternet accessElevated LF/HF ratioAltered heart rate variabilityGameGame useGame activitiesRate variabilityGaming behaviorCraving scoresGaming QuestionnaireAutonomic arousalLF/HF ratioGameplayVideo excerptsLow-frequency to high-frequencySmartphoneInternetVideoPotential intervention strategiesCOCAINE SELF-ADMINISTRATION BEHAVIOR IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCORTICAL AND CORTICAL GRAY MATTER IN INDIVIDUALS WITH COCAINE USE DISORDER
Kohler R, Zhornitsky S, Potenza M, Yip S, Worhunsky P, Angarita G. COCAINE SELF-ADMINISTRATION BEHAVIOR IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCORTICAL AND CORTICAL GRAY MATTER IN INDIVIDUALS WITH COCAINE USE DISORDER. Drug And Alcohol Dependence 2024, 260: 110081. DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.110081.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Vitamin D as a Therapeutic Adjunct in the Stimulant Treatment of ADHD
HIC ID2000020604RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2021Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18 years - 50 years
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
honor Doctor et Professor Honoris Causa (Honorary Doctorate and Professor in Psychological Science), Eötvös Loránd University
International AwardDetails05/10/2019Hungaryhonor Phoenix Award for Achievement in Addiction Research, the Green Crescent Society
International AwardDetails05/03/2018Turkeyhonor Research Award, Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health
National AwardDetails09/14/2017United Stateshonor Lifetime Research Award, the National Council on Problem Gambling
National AwardDetails06/16/2016United Statesactivity Gambling
ResearchDetails01/01/2008 - PresentCanadaAbstract/SynopsisDr. Potenza is involved in a think-tank and work group through McGill University in Montreal focusing on adolescent gambling.
Links & Media
News
- July 05, 2024Source: Yale News
Marc Potenza Named Steven M. Southwick Professor
- June 18, 2024Source: The New York Times
School’s Out. Time for a Social Media Reset
- May 13, 2024Source: NBC News
Online Gambling Trend Among Teens Causing Concern
- May 01, 2024Source: Psychology Today
The Reality of Teens and Weed
Get In Touch
Contacts
Psychiatry
I Church Street, 7th floor
New Haven, CT 06510
United States