WHAT WE DO

Our primary line of research focuses on identifying the variables most critical for role and social functioning among persons with physical and mental health needs. Loneliness and isolation are two key contributors to poorer functioning, especially for those living with serious mental illness. We take a multi-method approach, including ecological momentary assessment, smartphone sensors, neuroimaging, and psychophysiology, to better understand when people feel lonely and how we can best intervene. Additionally, we are interested in the neurobiological mechanisms of loneliness and how these processes may contribute to poorer physical health.

Current Projects:

  • Passive sensing of social isolation: A digital phenotyping approach (NIMH R01 MH122367)
  • Stable and dynamic neurobehavioral phenotypes of social isolation and loneliness in serious mental illness (NIMH R01Mh125426)
  • Neurobehavioral mechanisms of social isolation and loneliness in serious mental illness (NIMH R01MH127265)
  • Cardiovascular regulation through social contact: Examining the impact of loneliness on heart rate variability in schizophrenia (American Psychological Foundation Visionary Award to Fulford and Mote)

Completed Projects:

  • Leveraging smartphone sensing technology to identify social isolation in mental illness (Digital Health Initiative Research Award, Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering)

​Relevant manuscripts:

  • Fulford, D., & Holt, D. J. (2023). Social withdrawal, loneliness, and health in schizophrenia: Psychological and neural mechanisms. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 49, 1138–1149.
  • Mow, J., Gandhi, A., & Fulford, D. (2020). Imaging the “social brain” in schizophrenia: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies of social reward and punishment. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 118, 704-722
  • Fulford, D., & Mueser, K. T. (2020). The importance of understanding and addressing loneliness in psychotic disorders. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 27, e12383. 
  • Mote, J., Gard, D. E., Gonzalez, R., & Fulford, D. (2019). How did that interaction make you feel? The relationship between quality of everday social experiences and emotion in people with and without schizophrenia. PLoS ONE, 14, e0223003.