Naomi Eisenberger, Ph.D.

Faculty Member

Professor
Department of Psychology
University of California, Los Angeles

Personal Statement

I am a nationally recognized expert on the neural correlates underlying social rejection and connection as well as how these neural responses relate to both mental and physical health. I have been the PI or Co-I on many NIH-funded projects that have examined the neural underpinnings of specific social processes or the relationships between social processes and health outcomes. One line of my research has utilized neuroimaging techniques to investigate the neural correlates of social rejection and social connection. Through this line of research, I have shown that the experience of social rejection relies, in part, on physical pain-related neural regions and that the experience of social connection relies, in part, on reward-related neural regions. In another line of research, I have examined the effect of an experimental inflammatory challenge on feelings of depressed mood and social disconnection as well as the neural underpinnings of these changes. Here, we have shown that inflammation can increase feelings of social disconnection by increasing neural sensitivity to positive and negative social stimuli. More recently, I have been examining the neural correlates underlying prosocial behavior as well as the positive impact of prosocial behavior on both mental and physical health. I have also been examining how social connection and disconnection (loneliness) relate to fear learning and extinction, which have implications for mental health outcomes. In summary, I have the expertise, leadership, training, and motivation necessary to successfully carry out the proposed research project.