Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty typically have an academic or research appointment at another institution and contribute or collaborate with one or more School of Medicine faculty members or programs.
Adjunct rank detailsMichal Assaf, MD
About
Research
Publications
2026
Brain age prediction in generalized anxiety disorder using a convolutional neural network
Richier C, Zugman A, Harrewijn A, Cardinale E, Khosravi P, Aghajani M, Bruin W, Hilbert K, Cardoner N, Porta-Casteràs D, Cano M, Gosnell S, Salas R, Jackowski A, Pan P, Salum G, Blair K, Blair J, Milad M, Burkhouse K, Phan K, Schroeder H, Strawn J, Beesdo-Baum K, Jahanshad N, Thomopoulos S, Nielsen J, Smoller J, Soares J, Mwangi B, Wu M, Zunta-Soares G, Assaf M, Diefenbach G, Brambilla P, Maggioni E, Hofmann D, Straube T, Andreescu C, Price R, Manfro G, Agosta F, Canu E, Cividini C, Filippi M, Kostić M, Munjiza Jovanovic A, Benson B, Freitag G, Leibenluft E, Ringlein G, Werwath K, Zwiebel H, Grabe H, Van der Auwera S, Wittfeld K, Völzke H, Bülow R, Balderston N, Ernst M, Mujica-Parodi L, van Nieuwenhuizen H, Critchley H, Makovac E, Mancini M, Meeten F, Ottaviani C, Fonzo G, Paulus M, Stein M, Gur R, Gur R, Kaczkurkin A, Larsen B, Satterthwaite T, Harper J, Perino M, Sylvester C, Yu Q, McClure P, Pereira F, Lueken U, Veltman D, Thompson P, Groenewold N, Bas-Hoogendam J, Stein D, Van der Wee N, Winkler A, Pine D, Sawyers C. Brain age prediction in generalized anxiety disorder using a convolutional neural network. Translational Psychiatry 2026 PMID: 42177199, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-026-04078-3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGeneralized anxiety disorderPredicting age differencesBrain agingAnxiety disordersAge differencesAssociated with several psychiatric disordersHealthy controlsBrain-predicted age differenceBrain age differenceBrain age prediction modelSevere psychiatric disordersBrain aging researchBrain age predictionComorbid diagnosesPsychiatric disordersGroup differencesStructural MRIExploratory analysisAge prediction modelBrainDisordersChronological ageInput modalitiesAging ResearchIndividuals444. Social-Emotional Regulation During a Naturalistic fMRI Task in Non-Autistic and Autistic Adults
Hyatt C, Diefenbach G, Mazefsky C, Dichter G, Wexler B, Pittman B, Pearlson G, Assaf M. 444. Social-Emotional Regulation During a Naturalistic fMRI Task in Non-Autistic and Autistic Adults. Biological Psychiatry 2026, 99: s290. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.03.678.Peer-Reviewed Original Research218. Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Functional Connectivity Targeting Right Temporoparietal Junction: A Randomized Double Blind Sham Controlled Crossover Study
Kang D, Hyatt C, Balderston N, Assaf M, Steele V. 218. Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Functional Connectivity Targeting Right Temporoparietal Junction: A Randomized Double Blind Sham Controlled Crossover Study. Biological Psychiatry 2026, 99: s192. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.03.452.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCommentary on Ziermans, Hadjúk, Pinkham et al. “Call to action on social cognition measures in clinical research” and on Happé's commentary to the call to action
Corbera S, Assaf M. Commentary on Ziermans, Hadjúk, Pinkham et al. “Call to action on social cognition measures in clinical research” and on Happé's commentary to the call to action. Schizophrenia Research Cognition 2026, 44: 100421. PMID: 41657705, PMCID: PMC12877812, DOI: 10.1016/j.scog.2026.100421.Commentaries, Editorials and Letters
2025
Editorial: Underlying neurobiological, genetic, and behavioral mechanisms in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder
Corbera S, Penadés R, Assaf M. Editorial: Underlying neurobiological, genetic, and behavioral mechanisms in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers In Psychiatry 2025, 16: 1694809. PMID: 41089316, PMCID: PMC12515854, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1694809.Commentaries, Editorials and LettersUsing the excitation/inhibition ratio to optimize the classification of autism and schizophrenia
Uscătescu L, Hyatt C, Dunn J, Kronbichler M, Calhoun V, Corbera S, Pelphrey K, Pittman B, Pearlson G, Assaf M. Using the excitation/inhibition ratio to optimize the classification of autism and schizophrenia. Translational Psychiatry 2025, 15: 234. PMID: 40634290, PMCID: PMC12241497, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03455-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutism Diagnostic Observation ScheduleBermond-Vorst Alexithymia QuestionnaireEmpathy QuotientE/I ratioResting state fMRI dataClassification of autismReplication datasetAlexithymia QuestionnairePANSSSchizophreniaObservation ScheduleFMRI dataGroup differencesAutismExcitation/inhibition ratioIQE/IHurst (H) exponentRandom forest classifierExcitation/inhibitionTDClassification performanceTime courseClassification analysisExploratory datasetBrain-wide connectivity changes due to social–emotional regulation during a naturalistic fMRI task
Hyatt C, Wexler B, Diefenbach G, Dichter G, Mazefsky C, Uscatescu L, Wolf J, Sahl R, Pittman B, Pearlson G, Assaf M. Brain-wide connectivity changes due to social–emotional regulation during a naturalistic fMRI task. Cerebral Cortex 2025, 35: bhaf118. PMID: 40401354, PMCID: PMC12096004, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf118.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPosterior cingulate cortexEmotion regulationFC differencesFunctional connectivityEmotion typeLeft temporoparietal junctionSocial emotion regulationLeft supramarginal gyrusMedial posterior regionsMultivariate pattern analysisSignificant FC differencesFMRI taskPrefrontal involvementER strategiesNegative stimuliReappraisal strategiesCingulate cortexNeutral storyTemporoparietal junctionSupramarginal gyrusFunctional neuroimagingNeural substratesFunctional MRISignificant emotionsSocial interactionInternational perspective on social cognition in schizophrenia: current stage and the next steps
Corbera S, Kurtz M, Achim A, Agostoni G, Amado I, Assaf M, Barlati S, Bechi M, Cavallaro R, Ikezawa S, Okano H, Okubo R, Penadés R, Uchino T, Vita A, Yamada Y, Bell M. International perspective on social cognition in schizophrenia: current stage and the next steps. European Psychiatry 2025, 68: e9. PMID: 39812093, PMCID: PMC11795453, DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2024.1776.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsSocial cognitionSocial neuroscienceAssess social cognitionSocial cognitive measuresSocial cognitive abilitiesClinical psychologyCognitive measuresSocial dysfunctionCognitive abilitiesSchizophreniaCognitive evaluationFunctional difficultiesCognitionCognitive scienceClinical practiceNeuroscienceMounting evidenceInternational scientific researchPsychologyCliniciansPsychiatryPoor clinical outcomesScientific rigorIllnessResearchSocial functioning and frontal alpha asymmetry in schizophrenia
Farina E, Assaf M, Corbera S, Choi J, Yantz C, Chen C. Social functioning and frontal alpha asymmetry in schizophrenia. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2025, 182: 74-82. PMID: 39799666, PMCID: PMC11830537, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.01.006.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFrontal alpha asymmetryAutism spectrum disorderReduced social functioningSocial functioningNeurophysiological markersAlpha asymmetryPsychiatric disordersAtypical social behaviorUnique to schizophreniaSelf-report measuresHealthy controlsResting-state electroencephalogramClinical InterviewPsychiatric diagnosisSchizophreniaSpectrum disorderDiagnostic groupsReduced motivationSocial behaviorDisordersEmotional tendencyAnalysis of varianceClinical manifestationsElectroencephalogramAutism
2024
Empathic disequilibrium in schizophrenia: An individual participant data meta-analysis
Shalev I, Shamay-Tsoory S, Montag C, Assaf M, Smith M, Eran A, Uzefovsky F. Empathic disequilibrium in schizophrenia: An individual participant data meta-analysis. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2024, 181: 253-261. PMID: 39637716, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.11.045.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCognitive empathySchizophrenia diagnosisEmotional empathyCognitive components of empathyComponents of empathyInterpersonal Reactivity IndexSocial cognitive constructsSchizophrenia phenomenologyPositive symptomsCognitive constructsEmpathy measuresSchizophreniaSocial difficultiesCognitive componentsEmpathyReactivity indexData Meta-AnalysisParticipant data meta-analysisMeta-analysisIndividual Participant Data Meta-AnalysisResponse surface analysisSymptomsIndividual-participant data meta-analysisStable indexInterpersonal