Matt Scult, PhD

Research

Research

My research spans neuroscience, clinical psychology, and digital mental health, from recording individual brain cells to testing a CBT app for depression and anxiety.

Approaches

Research areas

Digital Mental Health

My academic research in digital mental health began in the labs of Drs. Conor Liston and Faith Gunning at Weill Cornell Medicine, where I studied outcomes of a standalone CBT app targeting depression and anxiety. You can try the app, Maya.

Clinical Neuroscience

As a graduate student in Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University, I worked with Drs. Ahmad Hariri, Tim Strauman, and Terrie Moffitt. More on these projects: Laboratory of NeuroGenetics and the Moffitt & Caspi Lab.

Clinical Psychology

At Massachusetts General Hospital's Benson-Henry Institute, I studied the relaxation response, examining the effects of mind-body techniques on chronic medical conditions, alongside prevention-focused studies.

Cognitive Neuroscience

I conducted my honors thesis in Dr. David Badre's lab, examining relationships between working memory and long-term memory, and assisted with fMRI studies of memory retrieval.

Meditation Research

In Dr. Willoughby Britton's lab, I used questionnaires to study the psychological effects of teaching meditation to middle-school students.

Neurophysics

I began my research career in Dr. Mayank Mehta's lab, using electrodes to record from place cells in the brains of rats as they navigated mazes.

Publications

Selected publications

Electronic versions are provided as a professional courtesy for individual, non-commercial use. Copyright resides with the respective holders.

Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Resilience

  1. Kim, M.J., Scult, M.A., Knodt, A.R., et al. (2018). A Link Between Childhood Adversity and Trait Anger Reflects Relative Activity of the Amygdala and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex. Biological Psychiatry: CNNI.
  2. Scult, M.A., Knodt, A.R., Radtke, S.R., Brigidi, B.D., & Hariri, A.R. (2017). Prefrontal Executive Control Rescues Risk for Anxiety Associated With High Threat and Low Reward Brain Function. Cerebral Cortex.
  3. Scult, M.A. (2017). Flexible Adaptation of Brain Networks During Stress. Journal of Neuroscience, 37(15), 3992–3994.
  4. Scult, M.A., Knodt, A.R., Swartz, J.R., Brigidi, B.D., & Hariri, A.R. (2017). Thinking and Feeling: Individual Differences in Habitual Emotion Regulation and Stress-Related Mood Are Associated With Prefrontal Executive Control. Clinical Psychological Science, 5(1), 150–157.
  5. Scult, M.A., Knodt, A., Hanson, J.L., et al. (2016). Individual Differences in Regulatory Focus Predict Neural Response to Reward. Social Neuroscience, 1–11.

Cognitive Functioning and Psychopathology

  1. Miller, J.A.*, Scult, M.A.*, Drabant Conley, E., et al. (2017). Effects of Schizophrenia Polygenic Risk Scores on Brain Activity and Performance During Working Memory Subprocesses in Healthy Young Adults. Schizophrenia Bulletin.
  2. Scult, M.A., Paulli, A.R., Mazure, E.S., Moffitt, T.E., Hariri, A.R.*, & Strauman, T.J.* (2017). The Association Between Cognitive Function and Subsequent Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Psychological Medicine, 47(1), 1–17.
  3. Scult, M.A., Trampush, J.W., Zheng, F., et al. (2015). A Common Polymorphism in SCN2A Predicts General Cognitive Ability Through Effects on PFC Physiology. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 27(9), 1766–1774.

Psychological Treatment Research

  1. Scult, M.A., Fresco, D.M., Gunning, F.M., Liston, C., et al. (2019). Changes in Functional Connectivity Following Treatment With Emotion Regulation Therapy. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
  2. Kuo, B., Bhasin, M., Jacquart, J., Scult, M.A., et al. (2015). Genomic and Clinical Effects Associated With a Relaxation Response Mind-Body Intervention in Patients With IBS and IBD. PLoS ONE, 10(4), e0123861.
  3. Scult, M., Haime, V., Takahashi, J., et al. (2015). A Novel Healthy Aging Program for Older Adults: Effects on Self-Efficacy and Morale. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine, 29(1), 26–33.
  4. Park, E., Traeger, L., Vranceanu, A.M., Scult, M., et al. (2013). The Development of a Patient-Centered Program Based on the Relaxation Response: The 3RP. Psychosomatics, 54(2), 165–174.
  5. Vranceanu, A.M., Shaefer, J.R., Saadi, A.F., Slawsby, E., Sarin, J., Scult, M., et al. (2013). The Relaxation Response Resiliency Enhancement Program in the Management of Chronic Refractory TMJ Disorder. Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain, 21(3), 224–230.
  6. Foret, M., Scult, M., Wilcher, M., et al. (2012). Integrating a Relaxation Response-Based Curriculum Into a Public High School in Massachusetts. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 325–332.

* Denotes equal authorship. A full list is available via Google Scholar or PubMed.