Li Yan McCurdy, PhD
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Assistant Professor
Biography
Dr. McCurdy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Her program of research is centered on facilitating addiction recovery through empowerment and social connection. She has been involved in the development and evaluation of scalable digital interventions for addiction, including her social support intervention designed to support individuals in early addiction recovery by increasing engagement with recovery community resources.
Dr. McCurdy earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience at Yale University in 2020, where she identified the neural mechanisms for unlearning memories in the fruit fly. She then completed two National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) T32 postdoctoral research fellowships at Yale School of Medicine: the Division of Prevention and Community Research’s training program in substance use prevention and the Neuroimaging Sciences Training Program. She joined the Department of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in January 2025.
Last Updated on February 23, 2025.
Appointments
Psychiatry
Assistant ProfessorPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- PhD
- Yale University, Neuroscience (2020)
- BA
- Columbia University, Biochemistry (2012)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Alcohol-Related Disorders; Social Support
ORCID
0000-0002-8862-6715- View Lab Website
The Nurturing Addiction Recovery & Wellness Lab (NARWL)
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Li Yan McCurdy's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Li Yan McCurdy's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Li Yan McCurdy is interested in exploring.
Brian D. Kiluk, PhD
Marc Potenza, PhD, MD
Charla Nich
Jennifer M. Loya, PhD
Elise DeVito, PhD
Grace Kong, PhD
4Publications
79Citations
Social Support
Publications
Featured Publications
Dopaminergic mechanism underlying reward-encoding of punishment omission during reversal learning in Drosophila
McCurdy LY, Sareen P, Davoudian PA, Nitabach MN. Dopaminergic mechanism underlying reward-encoding of punishment omission during reversal learning in Drosophila. Nature Communications 2021, 12: 1115. PMID: 33602917, PMCID: PMC7893153, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21388-w.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsDopaminergic neuronsCholinergic neuronsNeural circuit mechanismsCholinergic relayDopaminergic mechanismsSynaptic excitationSynaptic reconstructionSynaptic inputsVivo functional imagingCircuit mechanismsNeuronsAversive memoryFunctional imagingOdor responsesAversive outcomesReduced activationSuch activationCircuit motifsActivationOutcomesElectric shock punishmentSensory cuesUnexpected omissionShock punishmentBehavioral analysisStructural brain changes associated with cocaine use and digital cognitive behavioral therapy in cocaine use disorder treatment
McCurdy L, DeVito E, Loya J, Nich C, Zhai Z, Kiluk B, Potenza M. Structural brain changes associated with cocaine use and digital cognitive behavioral therapy in cocaine use disorder treatment. Drug And Alcohol Dependence Reports 2024, 11: 100246. PMID: 38966567, PMCID: PMC11222934, DOI: 10.1016/j.dadr.2024.100246.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsCocaine use disorderCognitive behavioral therapyCocaine useBehavioral therapyBrain changesBrain structuresWhole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysisCocaine use disorder treatmentLevel of cocaine useWeeks of outpatient treatmentVoxel-based morphometry analysisDigital cognitive behavioral therapyT1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scansRight caudate bodyAssociated with cocaine useMethadone-maintained individualsGray matter volumeStructural brain changesFunction of engagementCaudate bodyRight caudateCUD treatmentMatter volumeUse disorderBilateral cerebellumDevelopment and Pilot Test of a Novel Digital Social Support Intervention for Reducing Hazardous Alcohol Use
McCurdy L, Chung T, Stryjewski A, Spitzen T, Nich C, Krishnan‐Sarin S, Kong G, Kiluk B, Potenza M. Development and Pilot Test of a Novel Digital Social Support Intervention for Reducing Hazardous Alcohol Use. Alcohol Clinical And Experimental Research 2026, 50: e70301. PMID: 42026745, PMCID: PMC13106737, DOI: 10.1111/acer.70301.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsHazardous alcohol usePost-interventionAlcohol useSocial support interventionsSources of social supportSurvey post interventionAddiction recoveryPost-treatment assessmentSupport interventionsPre-interventionDigital interventionsSocial supportDescriptive statisticsGoal settingAlcohol consumptionQuit drinkingOrganization engagementPilot testRecruitment ratesRecovery organizationsParticipantsInterventionEngagement ratesVideo messagesPreliminary efficacy resultsSmartphone Apps for Problem Gambling: a Review of Content and Quality
McCurdy L, Loya J, Hart-Derrick V, Young G, Kiluk B, Potenza M. Smartphone Apps for Problem Gambling: a Review of Content and Quality. Current Addiction Reports 2023, 10: 178-186. PMID: 38463534, PMCID: PMC10919356, DOI: 10.1007/s40429-023-00479-2.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsCitations
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
A digital intervention for reducing stimulant drug use
IRB ID2000040872RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date11/15/2026Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18+ yearsA digital intervention for reducing heavy alcohol use
IRB ID2000040798RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date04/01/2027Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18+ years
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