Dr. Eric Claus, Director
edc5208@psu.edu
Dr. Eric Claus is an Associate Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State. His primary research interests include addiction, neuroimaging, brain stimulation, and cognitive neuroscience.
His current research project, the Brain Imaging of Abstinence from Smoking (BIAS) study, examines changes in brain function in cigarette smokers who have recently quit smoking. By identifying the key circuits implicated in behavior change, it may be possible to identify new targets for neuromodulation using techniques such as transcranial electrical stimulation.
He has used numerous techniques in his research, including functional MRI, MEG, EEG, and brain stimulation.
Publications: Google Scholar
Marisa Mostar, Research Technologist
mnm5617@psu.edu
Marisa Mostar graduated with a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Akron (Ohio) in Fall of 2020. She joined Dr. Claus’ team in Fall 2021, and hopes to clarify future career interests and gain valuable research experience in anticipation of graduate school. Broadly, she is interested in cognitive neuroscience, behavior, and the principles of neurobiology that dictate this behavior.
Gabriel Cruz, Predoctoral Fellow
gjc5485@psu.edu
Gabriel Cruz is a PhD student in the Biobehavioral Health department. He received his B.A. in Sociology from The University of Puerto Rico-Cayey. Gabriel’s research topics broadly focus on substance use disorder (SUD), neuroscience/brain imaging, EMA in substance-use context, biosensors, and statistics/methodologies. Gabriel is interested in combining techniques like fMRI and real-time recording of substance use to further understand SUD and predict behaviors associated with substance usage, dependence, and addiction.
Isha Sharan, Undergraduate Student
ivs5182@psu.edu