Mohith M. Varma (Mo)

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Special thanks to our reviewers, Kirsi Peltonen and Sarah Schäfer, and the editorial team at @nathumbehav.nature.com for their rigorous review, which helped significantly enhance the quality of our work :)

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Massive thanks to an awesome team of collaborators, namely, co-first author Shengzi Zeng, Laura Singh, Emily A. Holmes, Jingyun Huang, Man Hey Chiu, and Xiaoqing Hu for their contributions to this project!

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Complementing our study, we have created an interactive website with tools for in-depth exploration of our rich dataset, encouraging further research in trauma memory modulation:

intrusivememory.shinyapps.io/shinymeta/

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This framework, while preliminary, is a first step towards a deeper understanding of the underlying processes for techniques like Trauma Reminder + Tetris gameplay that show promise in reducing trauma intrusions both immediately and at delayed timepoint after trauma.

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To grasp the HOW, we developed a categorization system based on each technique’s procedures and hypothesized mechanism.

To probe the WHEN, we split the techniques based on their time of administration and examined their effect sizes within each timepoint.

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Our work is guided by 2 pivotal questions:

HOW these techniques work?

WHEN are they effective?

Insights from these Qs are crucial for both basic science and translational research into development of effective therapeutic interventions for trauma symptoms.

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Synthesizing data across 134 articles covering 131 techniques on trauma intrusion modulation, spanning ~30 years of research, we assess how these techniques alter (i.e. increase or decrease) intrusions and associated outcomes, namely intrusion-related distress and symptoms.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental methods for modulating intrusive memories following lab-analogue trauma exposure in non-clinical populations Nature Human Behaviour - Intrusive memories are a hallmark symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This preregistered meta-analysis investigates how experimental techniques alter...

Repost of my older X tweet:

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Thrilled to share our latest work @nathumbehav.nature.com

In this preregistered meta-analysis, we examine effectiveness of techniques aimed at modulating intrusive memories from lab-analogue trauma exposure in non-clinical human studies.

rdcu.be/enqhn
open access

Brain mechanisms underlying the inhibitory control of thought - Nature Reviews Neuroscience The capacity to prevent unwanted thoughts is important for cognitive function and mental health. Anderson et al. describe insights into the neural mechanisms of the inhibitory control of thought that ...

How does the brain stop thoughts? Find out in my article in @natrevneuro.nature.com with Subbu Subbulakshmi & Maite Crespo-Garcia www.nature.com/articles/s41... that integrates 25 yrs of psychology and neuroscience on this vital function.@mrccbu.bsky.social sky.social #neuroskyence #neuroscience