Kathryn Biernacki
Papers
4
Total Citations
48
H-Index
3
About
Kathryn Biernacki investigates the neural underpinnings of reward processing and decision-making in substance use disorders, with a focus on how non-invasive brain stimulation can restore disrupted circuitry. Her research integrates robotics, electrophysiology, and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to probe and modulate the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) and prefrontal regions—key nodes in the brain’s reward system. In her most cited work (2020, 24 citations), she demonstrated that combining TMS with computational modeling can recover reward function in problematic substance users, offering a mechanistic framework for intervention. She also showed that prefrontal 10-Hz TMS boosts response vigour during reinforcement learning in healthy adults (2022, 8 citations), linking dopamine-driven striatal activity to observable behaviour. Her 2025 study (2 citations) revealed that blunted aMCC responses to reward in opioid users can be normalized by prefrontal TMS, pointing toward a brain-based therapy for reducing relapse risk. By bridging causal brain manipulation with computational psychiatry, Biernacki’s work provides a translational pathway for treating addiction.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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