Research
Selected research themes and ongoing work.
Psychedelic-Assisted Brain Stimulation
Can psychedelics enhance the therapeutic effects of brain stimulation? My current work explores how psychedelic compounds like LSD interact with neuromodulation to produce longer-lasting shifts in brain state. By leveraging psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity, we aim to create more durable changes in brain activity and behavior — with potential implications for treating psychiatric disorders such as depression, addiction, and impulsivity.
Key publications: Dwiel et al., 2023, Psychopharmacology; Dwiel et al., 2025, Biological Psychiatry [under review]
Neural Biomarkers of Behavior
Using cortical-striatal local field potentials combined with machine learning, I develop predictive models that decode behavioral states from neural oscillations. This work has identified electrophysiological signatures of impulsive decision-making, feeding behavior, and substance consumption in rodent models — toward the goal of personalized, biomarker-driven brain stimulation.
Key publications: Dwiel et al., 2019, PLoS Computational Biology; Doucette, Dwiel et al., 2017, Frontiers in Psychiatry
Corticostriatal Circuits in Substance Use & Psychiatric Disorders
How do cortical-striatal circuits go awry in addiction and psychiatric illness? This line of research examines oscillatory dynamics across brain regions in rodent models of alcohol drinking, schizophrenia, and impulsive choice — including sex differences in these circuits and the effects of early-life exposures such as maternal immune activation and adolescent alcohol use.
Key publications: Henricks, Sullivan, Dwiel et al., 2022, Translational Psychiatry; Henricks et al., 2019, Biology of Sex Differences; Khokhar, Dwiel et al., 2017, Schizophrenia Research