University of California, San Francisco

Director Josh D. Woolley MD/PhD and the Bonding and Attunement in Neuropsychiatric Disorders (BAND) Lab are broadly interested in psychiatry, neurobehavioral disorders, and affective neuroscience. Specifically, Dr. Woolley is interested in the role the neuropeptide oxytocin plays in social functioning and how manipulations of neurohormonal mechanisms involving oxytocin can lead to new therapeutic treatments for a variety of psychiatric conditions. Dr. Woolley studies the effects of oxytocin administration on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, dyadic family interactions between young adults with mental illness and family members, social funcitoning and preferences for drugs in substance abusers, and team cohesion in ROTC recruits. Our studies evaluate the effects of oxytocin by utilizing behavioral measures as well as neuroimaging methodologies in both clinical and healthy populations. In addition to his work with oxytocin, Dr. Woolley investigates the use of iPad-based cognitive training excercises to treat cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia.