Maggie Davis

The kappa opioid receptor (KOR) has been implicated in key clinical features of trauma related psychopathology (e.g., borderline personality (BPD), PTSD), including impulsivity, emotion dysregulation, and altered pain processing. Critically, these features also represent endophenotypic risk factors of suicide. Rates of suicide behavior and death by suicide are markedly elevated in trauma survivors, yet few available treatments reliably reduce suicide risk in these populations. Thus, KOR may represent a promising target for treatment development for trauma-related psychopathology with the potential to affect suicide risk. Dr. Davis will discuss the results from a series of studies examining KOR availability in BPD and PTSD in-vivo for the first time using [¹¹C]EKAP positron emission tomography (PET).  Group differences in KOR availability as a function of psychiatric diagnosis and suicide behavior (attempt history and ideation) will be discussed, as will relationships between KOR availability and clinical correlates of risk and clinical severity. Exploratory analyses will also be discussed 1) comparing PET values to peripheral dynorphin sampling results and 2) examining differences in KOR availability and dynorphin as a function of suicide behavior subtypes (e.g., impulsive vs. planful attempt; attempt lethality). The talk will conclude with a discussion on how findings fit into current literature, future directions, and implications for treatment development.

Dr. Davis is a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Yale Department of Psychiatry, co-appointed in the Department of Psychology. As an emergent expert in trauma-and-stressor related conditions, her work seeks to identify neurobiological mechanisms underlying behavioral responses related to PTSD, borderline personality disorder and other forms of trauma related psychopathology (e.g. eating disorders, OCD, substance use), and their link to suicide behaviors and functional impairment. Beyond her personal research projects, Maggie is a specialist with expertise and clinical experience in prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (various protocols) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). She serves as the faculty lead for data integration and research management for the Yale New Haven Health Adult Behavioral Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), Chair of the Scholarship Committee for the Yale Predoctoral Internship Program, and Director of BPD Outreach and Education for the Yale Department of Psychiatry.

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