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 detailsAnjali Sankar
Assistant Professor Adjunct of PsychiatryAbout
Research
Publications
2026
Unveiling Resting-State Functional Connectivity Patterns in Patients With Migraine
Messina R, Christensen R, Ashina H, Sankar A, Gollion C, Al-Khazali H, Filippi M, Ashina M. Unveiling Resting-State Functional Connectivity Patterns in Patients With Migraine. Neurology 2026, 106: e214656. PMID: 41650361, DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000214656.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMiddle cingulate cortexBilateral middle cingulate cortexRs-FCSeed-based analysisCingulate cortexNeurobiological underpinningsHealthy controlsMigraine subtypesResting-state functional connectivity patternsRight lateral occipital cortexMulti-voxel pattern analysisResting-state functional connectivityFamily-wise error correctionBilateral occipital polesOccipital poleLateral occipital cortexMulti-voxel patternsFunctional connectivity patternsRight occipital poleRs-fMRI dataWell-characterized sampleSex-matched healthy controlsBilateral precuneusFunctional connectivityOccipital cortexFronto‐limbic emotional‐processing markers signal risk of onset rather than risk of recurrence in mood disorders: Evidence from a longitudinal twin study
Macoveanu J, Kjærstad H, Sankar A, Siebner H, Kessing L, Vinberg M, Miskowiak K. Fronto‐limbic emotional‐processing markers signal risk of onset rather than risk of recurrence in mood disorders: Evidence from a longitudinal twin study. Psychiatry And Clinical Neurosciences 2026 PMID: 41524600, DOI: 10.1111/pcn.70026.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAnterior cingulate cortexRecurrence of mood episodesFunctional magnetic resonance imagingMood disordersMood episodesBipolar disorderBehavioral measuresFirst-onsetBehavioural measures of emotional processingDorsal anterior cingulate cortexMeasures of emotional processingRecognition of happy facesHistory of mood disorderRecurrence of mood disordersHappy face processingVentrolateral prefrontal cortexLongitudinal fMRI studyLongitudinal Twin StudyFacial emotional expressionsFearful facesHappy facesPrefrontal cortexBilateral amygdalaFace processingDepressive disorderNeural correlates of cognitive improvement after virtual reality-based cognitive remediation in psychosis and mood disorders: A randomized controlled trial
Damgaard V, Jespersen A, Søndergaard I, Lumbye A, Vinberg M, Glenthøj L, Nordentoft M, Sankar A, Knudsen G, Macoveanu J, Miskowiak K. Neural correlates of cognitive improvement after virtual reality-based cognitive remediation in psychosis and mood disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Neuroscience Applied 2026, 5: 105709. DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105709.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2025
Amygdala reactivity to threat, negative facial perception, and risk of future psychiatric hospitalizations: a longitudinal study in major depressive and bipolar disorders
Miskowiak K, Ozenne B, Kjærstad H, Fisher P, Beaman E, Dam V, Ysbæk-Nielsen A, Knudsen G, Kessing L, Macoveanu J, Frøkjær V, Sankar A. Amygdala reactivity to threat, negative facial perception, and risk of future psychiatric hospitalizations: a longitudinal study in major depressive and bipolar disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 51: 604-611. PMID: 41398076, PMCID: PMC12824336, DOI: 10.1038/s41386-025-02291-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMajor depressive disorderBipolar disorderPsychiatric hospitalBehavioral assessmentRisk of psychiatric hospitalizationFacial expressionsFunctional magnetic resonance imagingNegative emotional biasPositive facial expressionsRecognition of facial expressionsNegative biasAmygdala reactivityThreat biasAmygdala hyperactivityHappy facesDepressive disorderIllness chronicityPsychotherapeutic interventionsFacial perceptionEmotional biasEmotional informationBaseline symptomsPersistent disordersBehavioral responsesIntervention outcomesReduced ventromedial prefrontal cortex volume and impaired attention associated with past suicide attempts in patients with mood disorders
Andreu H, Miskowiak K, Macoveanu J, Kessing L, Vieta E, Knudsen G, Frokjaer V, Sankar A. Reduced ventromedial prefrontal cortex volume and impaired attention associated with past suicide attempts in patients with mood disorders. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2025, 191: 501-506. PMID: 41056872, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.09.040.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMajor depressive disorderMood disordersSuicidal behaviorSuicide attemptsVmPFC volumeBipolar disorderAssociated with history of suicidal behaviorAssociated with past suicide attemptsHistory of suicidal behaviorRisk of suicidal behaviorVentromedial prefrontal cortexAssociated with historyPrefrontal cortex volumePast suicide attemptsHeightened riskBrain structural measuresMagnetic resonance imagingPotential intervention targetsPrefrontal cortexDepressive disorderAttention deficitImpaired attentionCognitive domainsCognitive subdomainsCortex volumeBrain White Matter Microstructure in Middle and Older Aged Adults With Bipolar Disorder: A 2-Site Study
Sankar A, Colic L, Marks R, Rajashekar N, Pittman B, Constable R, Sajatovic M, Eyler L, Blumberg H. Brain White Matter Microstructure in Middle and Older Aged Adults With Bipolar Disorder: A 2-Site Study. American Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry 2025, 34: 580-590. PMID: 41107198, PMCID: PMC12553490, DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2025.09.013.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBipolar disorderEmotion regulationFractional anisotropyUncinate fasciculusWM microstructureCorpus callosumWM fractional anisotropyBrain white matter microstructureWhite matter microstructureAnterior corpus callosumTwo-site studyPosterior corpus callosumOlder aged adultsMood symptomsConsistent with findingsWhite matterNeurodevelopmental alterationsOlder adulthoodStudy of adults ageWM tractsCognitive impairmentLow FAEffect sizeAge interactionOlder adultsAssociations Between Cognitive Functions and Subsequent Mood Disorder Prognosis in Low‐Risk, High‐Risk and Affected Monozygotic Twins: A Seven‐Year Follow‐Up Study
Miskowiak K, Kjærstad H, Lystlund S, Sankar A, Kessing L, Vinberg M. Associations Between Cognitive Functions and Subsequent Mood Disorder Prognosis in Low‐Risk, High‐Risk and Affected Monozygotic Twins: A Seven‐Year Follow‐Up Study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 2025 PMID: 40832818, DOI: 10.1111/acps.70025.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMood disordersVerbal fluencyIllness onsetNon-emotional cognitionPositive attentional biasLow-risk twinsVerbal fluency declineRisk of illness onsetLongitudinal cognitive changesMonozygotic co-twinsMonozygotic twinsAttentional biasFearful facesHappy facesAberrant cognitionAttentional vigilanceCognitive changesCognitive differencesCognitive functionCognitive featuresIllness progressionBaseline cognitionFamilial riskCo-TwinCognitive impairmentBrain structural correlates of prior alcohol use disorder and their relation to cognitive impairment in individuals with mood disorders
Miskowiak K, Bjerregaard S, Fink-Jensen A, Kessing L, Damgaard V, Schandorff J, Kjærstad H, Macoveanu J, Frokjaer V, Knudsen G, Sankar A. Brain structural correlates of prior alcohol use disorder and their relation to cognitive impairment in individuals with mood disorders. Journal Of Affective Disorders 2025, 390: 119841. PMID: 40639540, DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.119841.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAlcohol use disorderGray matter volumeAlcohol use disorder groupNucleus accumbensMood disordersOrbitofrontal cortexHippocampal volumeCognitive impairmentUse disorderCognitive functionComorbid alcohol use disorderLower gray matter volumeBrain structural correlatesStructural magnetic resonance imagingAlcohol-induced neurotoxicityMD groupAssociated with poorer global cognitionIntegrated treatment approachPoorer global cognitionHigher cognitive functionsVerbal learningNeurobiological alterationsNeuroimaging studiesNeuropsychological testsMatter volumeNeural Correlates of Cognitive Improvement After Virtual Reality‐Based Cognitive Remediation in Psychosis and Mood Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Damgaard V, Jespersen A, Søndergaard I, Lumbye A, Vinberg M, Glenthøj L, Nordentoft M, Sankar A, Knudsen G, Macoveanu J, Miskowiak K. Neural Correlates of Cognitive Improvement After Virtual Reality‐Based Cognitive Remediation in Psychosis and Mood Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 2025 DOI: 10.1111/acps.70004.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFunctional magnetic resonance imagingSchizophrenia spectrum disordersNeuropsychological assessmentMood disordersCognitive benefitsCognitive improvementNeural correlatesSpectrum disorderFunctional magnetic resonance imaging taskLongitudinal functional magnetic resonance imagingEncoding-related neural activityLeft dorsal prefrontal cortexCorrelates of cognitive changesLeft inferior temporal gyrusFunctional magnetic resonance imaging dataPro-cognitive interventionsDorsal prefrontal cortexCognitive remediation therapyLeft frontal poleTreatment completionOccipital cortex activityBilateral occipital cortexInferior temporal gyrusHealthy controlsThree-month follow-upReduced prefrontal response to fearful faces in recent mothers with bipolar disorder and its association with mother-infant interaction and infant development
Bjertrup A, Andreu H, Macoveanu J, Sankar A, Moszkowicz M, Nielsen R, Pagsberg A, Vieta E, Kessing L, Miskowiak K. Reduced prefrontal response to fearful faces in recent mothers with bipolar disorder and its association with mother-infant interaction and infant development. Psychiatry Research 2025, 351: 116610. PMID: 40582275, DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116610.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFunctional magnetic resonance imagingMother-infant interactionBipolar disorderMother infant interactionsFearful facesNeural responsesInfant interactionsNeural activityInfant developmentEmotion processing regionsHappy facial expressionsWhole-brain analysisSevere mood disordersLeft frontal poleFacial expression recognition taskFacial expression recognition accuracyExpression recognition taskHappy facesPrefrontal responsesBD mothersMood disordersChildren of individualsFrontal poleDyadic reciprocityProcessing regions