Albert Powers, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of PsychiatryCards
About
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
Behavioral Sciences; Computational Biology; Hallucinations; Patient-Specific Modeling; Psychotic Disorders; Resilience, Psychological; Risk Assessment; Schizophrenia; Stress Disorders, Traumatic
Publications
2025
Connectome-based predictive modeling of early and chronic psychosis symptoms
Foster M, Ye J, Powers A, Dvornek N, Scheinost D. Connectome-based predictive modeling of early and chronic psychosis symptoms. Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 1-9. PMID: 40016363, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-025-02064-9.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConnectome-based predictive modelingPositive and Negative Syndrome ScalePsychosis symptomsSymptom networksSymptom severityBrain networksNeural correlates of CPResting-state functional magnetic resonance imagingFunctional magnetic resonance imagingNegative Syndrome ScaleIdentified group differencesPredicted effect sizeCorrelates of CPGeneral psychopathologyNegative symptomsPositive symptomsSyndrome ScaleFrontoparietal networkNeural correlatesVirtual lesion analysisGroup differencesConnectivity changesEffect sizeLesion analysisLongitudinal studyEmergence and dynamics of delusions and hallucinations across stages in early psychosis
Mourgues-Codern C, Benrimoh D, Gandhi J, Farina E, Vin R, Zamorano T, Parekh D, Malla A, Joober R, Lepage M, Iyer S, Addington J, Bearden C, Cadenhead K, Cornblatt B, Keshavan M, Stone W, Mathalon D, Perkins D, Walker E, Cannon T, Woods S, Shah J, Powers A. Emergence and dynamics of delusions and hallucinations across stages in early psychosis. Biological Psychiatry 2025 PMID: 40020853, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.02.891.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFirst-episode psychosis patientsSymptom patternsNorth American Prodrome Longitudinal StudyPositive symptoms of psychosisSymptoms of psychosisCHR-P samplesEarly intervention programsPositive symptomsDelusional ideationPsychosis patientsEarly psychosisCHR-PNeural mechanismsDelusionsHallucination onsetHallucinationsPsychosisBaseline assessmentLongitudinal studyIntervention programsSymptomsTime courseParticipantsIdeationOnsetA generalized reward processing deficit pathway to negative symptoms across diagnostic boundaries
Spilka M, Millman Z, Waltz J, Walker E, Levin J, Powers A, Corlett P, Schiffman J, Gold J, Silverstein S, Ellman L, Mittal V, Woods S, Zinbarg R, Strauss G. A generalized reward processing deficit pathway to negative symptoms across diagnostic boundaries. Psychological Medicine 2025, 55: e6. PMID: 39901872, DOI: 10.1017/s003329172400326x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsNegative symptomsDiagnostic boundariesPsychiatric diagnosisTransdiagnostic sample of youthProcessing profilesEffort-cost computationsPositive valence systemsElevated negative symptomsHelp-seeking participantsClinical high riskClinical group membershipSample of youthHedonic reactivityTransdiagnostic sampleCHR criteriaNeurobiological mechanismsPsychosis riskSubgroup of participantsBehavioral tasksClinical interviewPsychiatric disordersClinical participantsValence systemsGroup membershipDiagnostic classificationRevisiting the Defeatist Performance Belief Scale in Adults With Schizophrenia and Youth at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis: A Comprehensive Psychometric Analysis
Luther L, Ahmed A, Grant P, Granholm E, Gold J, Williams T, Pratt D, Holden J, Walker E, Arnold L, Ellman L, Mittal V, Zinbarg R, Silverstein S, Corlett P, Powers A, Woods S, Waltz J, Schiffman J, Strauss G. Revisiting the Defeatist Performance Belief Scale in Adults With Schizophrenia and Youth at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis: A Comprehensive Psychometric Analysis. Schizophrenia Bulletin 2025, sbae220. PMID: 39749462, DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae220.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDefeatist performance beliefsSchizophrenia spectrum groupClinical high riskNegative symptomsFactor structureCognitive model of negative symptomsMechanisms of negative symptomsModel of negative symptomsNegative symptom improvementNegative symptoms treatmentPhase of psychosisFactor analysisComprehensive psychometric analysisConfirmatory factor analysisExploratory factor analysisPositive symptomsCHR samplesPerformance beliefsMeasurement invarianceDiscriminant validityConvergent validityPsychometric propertiesCognitive modelUnidimensional modelBeliefs Scale
2024
Biomarkers of Auditory-Verbal Hallucinations
Fisher V, Hosein G, Epié B, Powers A. Biomarkers of Auditory-Verbal Hallucinations. Advances In Neurobiology 2024, 40: 665-681. PMID: 39562460, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-69491-2_22.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchA Computational Account of the Development and Evolution of Psychotic Symptoms
Powers A, Angelos P, Bond A, Farina E, Fredericks C, Gandhi J, Greenwald M, Hernandez-Busot G, Hosein G, Kelley M, Mourgues C, Palmer W, Rodriguez-Sanchez J, Seabury R, Toribio S, Vin R, Weleff J, Woods S, Benrimoh D. A Computational Account of the Development and Evolution of Psychotic Symptoms. Biological Psychiatry 2024, 97: 117-127. PMID: 39260466, PMCID: PMC11634669, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.08.026.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchPsychotic symptomsSymptom formationEmergence of psychotic symptomsConversion to psychosisPrediction error signalsIncoming sensory informationHallucination severityDiminished signal-to-noise ratioComputational accountPsychiatric interventionNeural systemsHallucinationsIncreasing convictionOver-reliancePsychosisSensory informationLongitudinal developmentSymptomsBelief formationMedial Amygdalar Tau Is Associated With Mood Symptoms in Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease
Li J, Tun S, Ficek-Tani B, Xu W, Wang S, Horien C, Toyonaga T, Nuli S, Zeiss C, Powers A, Zhao Y, Mormino E, Fredericks C. Medial Amygdalar Tau Is Associated With Mood Symptoms in Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease. Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience And Neuroimaging 2024, 9: 1301-1311. PMID: 39059466, PMCID: PMC11625605, DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.07.012.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAssociated with mood symptomsMood symptomsAmyloid-positive individualsMedial amygdalaSeed-based functional connectivity analysisAssociated with anxiety symptomsSelf-reported mood symptomsPost hoc correlation analysisAlzheimer's diseaseFunctional connectivity analysisPreclinical Alzheimer's diseaseTau bindingOrbitofrontal cortexTau depositionAmygdalar connectivityEmotional processingAnxiety symptomsRetrosplenial cortexBetween-group differencesAmygdalaFunctional connectivityLateral amygdalaConnectivity analysisDepression scoresNeuropsychiatric symptomsRecent social stress and severity of auditory hallucinations
Farina E, Mourgues-Codern C, Sibarium E, Powers A. Recent social stress and severity of auditory hallucinations. Schizophrenia Research 2024, 269: 64-70. PMID: 38733801, PMCID: PMC11180583, DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.04.024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchHearing voicesVoice-hearersAuditory verbal hallucinationsNon-clinical voice-hearersCross-sectional designSocial stressDepressive symptom severitySelf-reported aspectsPsychosocial interventionsAuditory hallucinationsClinical distressAdverse social experiencesHearingSeverity of auditory hallucinationsAdministered self-report measuresRecent stressMedication-resistant auditory verbal hallucinationsDistressRelational demographicsDaily social stressRegression modelsSocial stressorsSymptom severityAuditory experienceHallucination severity11. Role of Prediction Errors in the Relationship Between Ethnoracial Discrimination and Delusions
Huque Z, O'Brien K, Rossi-Goldthorpe R, Kenney J, Mittal V, Strauss G, Walker E, Schiffman J, Woods S, Powers A, Silverstein S, Waltz J, Gold J, Corlett P, Ellman L. 11. Role of Prediction Errors in the Relationship Between Ethnoracial Discrimination and Delusions. Biological Psychiatry 2024, 95: s78-s79. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.02.189.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchDifferent learning aberrations relate to delusion-like beliefs with different contents
Rossi-Goldthorpe R, Silverstein S, Gold J, Schiffman J, Waltz J, Williams T, Powers A, Woods S, Zinbarg R, Mittal V, Ellman L, Strauss G, Walker E, Levin J, Castiello S, Kenney J, Corlett P. Different learning aberrations relate to delusion-like beliefs with different contents. Brain 2024, 147: 2854-2866. PMID: 38637303, PMCID: PMC11292907, DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae122.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchProbabilistic reversal learningDelusion-like beliefsProbabilistic reversal learning taskBlocked cueControl cuesBelief convictionBlock taskClinical high-risk statusKamin blocking taskSymptom-specific effectsPrediction error accountLevels of paranoiaIntact learningAberrant learningKamin blockingParanoid individualsPersecutory delusionsCue presentationReversal learningPredicting psychosisCognitive tasksBehavioral resultsDecreased learningDelusionsParanoia
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Song-making In a Group (SING)
HIC ID2000026376RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date08/31/2024Recruiting ParticipantsSchizophrenia Spectrum Biomarkers Consortium (SSBC)
HIC ID2000029485RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2030Recruiting ParticipantsTesting a Computationally-Informed, Personalized Intervention for Hallucinations
HIC ID2000024774RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date03/31/2024Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18 years - 65 yearsAMPA Receptor Components of the Anti-Depressant Ketamine Response
HIC ID2000021345RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/30/2032Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18 years - 65 years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
News
News
- April 08, 2025
Understanding the Transition From Early to Chronic Psychosis
- April 07, 2025
Psychosis Symptoms Emerge in Surprising Pattern, Researchers Find
- December 20, 2024
Interdisciplinary Collaboration Yields Greater Impact
- November 25, 2024
Yale Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids Announces Inaugural Pilot Award Winners
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