Patrick Worhunsky, DPhil
Assistant Professor Adjunct in PsychiatryCards
About
Research
Publications
2024
COCAINE 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 ResearchW147 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 ResearchDeficits in prefrontal metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 are associated with functional alterations during emotional processing in bipolar disorder
Asch R, Worhunsky P, Davis M, Holmes S, Cool R, Boster S, Carson R, Blumberg H, Esterlis I. Deficits in prefrontal metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 are associated with functional alterations during emotional processing in bipolar disorder. Journal Of Affective Disorders 2024, 361: 415-424. PMID: 38876317, PMCID: PMC11250898, DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.06.025.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMetabotropic glutamate receptor 5Bipolar disorderGlutamate receptor 5Positron emission tomographyFear processingEmotional processingAssociated with greater activationEmotion processing taskAssociated with impulsivityFunctional brain differencesAssociated with functional alterationsParietal brain regionsPathology of BDIncreased cortical activityAssociated with difficultiesDepressive disorderHealthy comparisonReceptor availabilityBrain differencesPre/postcentral gyriAttention difficultiesGreater activationBrain regionsPsychomotor functionTreatment developmentCocaine self-administration behavior is associated with subcortical and cortical morphometry measures 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 morphometry measures in individuals with cocaine use disorder. The American Journal Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse 2024, ahead-of-print: 1-12. PMID: 38551365, DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2024.2318585.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGray-matter volumeSelf-administer cocaineSelf-administration behaviorCocaine use disorderSelf-administrationGray-matterFrontal cortexUse disorderCocaine self-administration behaviorSelf-administered cocaine infusionsCocaine self-administrationSelf-administration paradigmInfusions self-administeredSelf-report assessmentsCortical brain regionsStructural MRI dataFR1 scheduleInsular thicknessCocaine infusionsPredisposing vulnerabilitiesCocaine consumptionCocaine useBrain regionsBilateral regionsLimbic systemNeural correlates of altered emotional responsivity to infant stimuli in mothers who use substances
McCurdy L, Yip S, Worhunsky P, Zhai Z, Kim S, Strathearn L, Potenza M, Mayes L, Rutherford H. Neural correlates of altered emotional responsivity to infant stimuli in mothers who use substances. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2024, 171: 126-133. PMID: 38277872, PMCID: PMC10922955, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.01.024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsResponses to infant stimuliInfant stimuliMaternal behaviorAffective processesBrain regionsPsychological processesEmotional responsesFunctional magnetic resonance imagingPotential neural targetsInfant emotional expressionsMaternal emotional responsivenessSubstance-use statusAssociated with difficultiesSocial-emotional developmentInfant social-emotional developmentMaternal substance useInfant facesCognitive processesImprove child outcomesEmotional expressionEmotional intensityNeural targetsSubstance useGroups of mothersChild outcomes
2023
Linking resting-state network fluctuations with systems of coherent synaptic density: A multimodal fMRI and 11C-UCB-J PET study
Fang X, Volpi T, Holmes S, Esterlis I, Carson R, Worhunsky P. Linking resting-state network fluctuations with systems of coherent synaptic density: A multimodal fMRI and 11C-UCB-J PET study. Frontiers In Human Neuroscience 2023, 17: 1124254. PMID: 36908710, PMCID: PMC9995441, DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1124254.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSynaptic densityRSN activityResting-state network connectivityRSN functional connectivityAnterior default mode networkJ PET studyResting-state fMRIBrain functional organizationDefault mode networkHealthy adult participantsExecutive control networkRSN connectivityFunctional organizationPsychiatric disordersMedial prefrontalSalience networkPET studiesFunctional connectivityHealthy agingFractional amplitudeLow-frequency fluctuationsNeurophysiological linkSynaptic architectureAdult participantsDefault-mode activity
2022
Glutamatergic Agents for the Treatment of Cocaine Use Disorder
Hadizadeh H, Flores J, Mayerson T, Worhunsky P, Potenza M, Angarita G. Glutamatergic Agents for the Treatment of Cocaine Use Disorder. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports 2022, 9: 101-112. DOI: 10.1007/s40473-022-00252-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCocaine use disorderRoute of administrationGlutamatergic systemSafety profileNovel agentsUse disordersMetabotropic glutamate receptor 5 antagonistNewer beta-lactam agentsAMPA/kainate receptorsTreatment of CUDBeta-lactam agentsGood safety profileMetabotropic glutamate receptorsPromising preclinical dataReceptors/transportersChronic cocaine useGLT-1 transporterBeta-lactam antibioticsOngoing trialsPreclinical supportGlutamatergic agentsGlutamate neurotransmissionPreclinical dataClinical trialsGlutamate receptors
2021
Relating neural processing of reward and loss prospect to risky decision-making in individuals with and without gambling disorder
Balodis I, Linnet J, Arshad F, Worhunsky P, Stevens M, Pearlson G, Potenza M. Relating neural processing of reward and loss prospect to risky decision-making in individuals with and without gambling disorder. 2021, 97-113. DOI: 10.4324/9781003140450-7.ChaptersMonetary incentive delay taskIowa Gambling TaskIncentive delay taskGambling disorderAnticipatory processingIGT scoresIGT performanceDelay taskIowa Gambling Task performanceProspect of rewardDecision-making impairmentsGambling Task performanceVentromedial prefrontal cortexDecision-making taskWhole-brain correlationFronto-striatal activityHC groupVentral striatum/Healthy control participantsTotal IGT scoreAnterior cingulate regionsGambling TaskNeural processesNeural processingTask performance
2019
Neurofunctional Differences Related to Methamphetamine and Sexual Cues in Men With Shorter and Longer Term Abstinence Methamphetamine Dependence
Chen S, Huang S, Yang C, Cai W, Chen H, Hao W, Liu T, Wang X, Worhunsky P, Potenza M. Neurofunctional Differences Related to Methamphetamine and Sexual Cues in Men With Shorter and Longer Term Abstinence Methamphetamine Dependence. The International Journal Of Neuropsychopharmacology 2019, 23: 135-145. PMID: 31995187, PMCID: PMC7171928, DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyz069.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHealthy comparison menFrontal cortex activationLong-term methamphetamine abstinenceSexual cuesNeutral cuesMethamphetamine cuesNeurofunctional differencesComparison menCortex activationLeft superior frontal cortexCue-related activationsNeutral visual cuesAnterior insula activationCue-reactivity taskAnterior insula responseVentromedial prefrontal cortexHealthy comparison participantsMethamphetamine abstinenceMethamphetamine dependenceFunctional magnetic resonanceWhole-brain analysisAbstinence groupSuperior frontal cortexInsula activationInsula responseHow Spirituality May Mitigate Against Stress and Related Mental Disorders: a Review and Preliminary Neurobiological Evidence
McClintock C, Worhunsky P, Balodis I, Sinha R, Miller L, Potenza M. How Spirituality May Mitigate Against Stress and Related Mental Disorders: a Review and Preliminary Neurobiological Evidence. Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports 2019, 6: 253-262. DOI: 10.1007/s40473-019-00195-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBrain mechanismsStress processingSelf-referential processingFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataPotential brain mechanismsSpecific brain mechanismsImportant resilience factorMental disordersPreliminary fMRI dataStress-related psychopathologyMechanisms of psychopathologyDefault mode networkStress-related mental disordersCognitive processingNeurobiological evidenceNeural mechanismsNeural responsesNeuroscientific researchResilience factorsMagnetic resonance imaging dataNeural circuitryFMRI dataStress responsivityBrain regionsAcute stress
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Studying the Adult Brain
HIC ID2000025671RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date07/31/2025Recruiting Participants