Featured Publications

Development and Validation of New Psychosocial Treatments

Zvolensky MJ, Rosenfield D, Garey L, Kauffman BY, Langdon KJ, Powers MB, Otto MW, Davis ML, Marcus BH, Church TS, Frierson GM, Hopkins LB, Paulus DJ, Baird SO,Smits JAJ. Does exercise aid smoking cessation through reductions in anxiety sensitivity and dysphoria? Health Psychol. 2018 Jul;37(7):647-657. PMCID: PMC6032989.

Stathopoulou G, Pollack MH, Otto MW. Anxiety sensitivity moderates drug cravings in response to induced negative affect in opioid dependent outpatients. Addict Behav. 2018 Sep;84:75-78

Otto, M. W., Eastman, A., Lo, S., Hearon, B. A., Bickel, W. K., Zvolensky, M., Smits, J. A. J., Doan, S. N. (2016). Anxiety sensitivity and working memory capacity: Risk factors and targets for health behavior promotion. Clinical Psychology Review, 49, 67-78.

Moshier SJ, Szuhany KL, Hearon BA, Smits JA, Otto MW. Anxiety sensitivity uniquely predicts exercise behaviors in young adults seeking to increase physical activity. Behav Modif. 2016 Jan;40(1-2):178-98.

Traditional Additive/Combination Treatment: Novel Applications and Limitations

Miklowitz DJ, Otto MW, Frank E, Reilly-Harrington NA, Wisniewski SR, Kogan JN, Nierenberg AA, Calabrese JR, Marangell LB, Gyulai L, Araga M, Gonzalez JM, Shirley ER, Thase ME, Sachs GS. Psychosocial treatments for bipolar depression: a 1-year randomized trial from the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007 Apr;64(4):419-26. PMCID: PMC3579612.

Otto, M. W., McHugh, R. K., & Kantak, K. M. (2010). Combined pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: Medication effects, glucocorticoids, and attenuated outcomes. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 17, 91-103.

Otto, M. W., Pollack, M. H., Sachs, G.S., Reiter, S. R., Meltzer-Brody, S., & Rosenbaum, J. F. (1993). Discontinuation of benzodiazepine treatment: Efficacy of cognitive-behavior therapy for patients with panic disorder.  American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 1485-1490.

Safren S. A., Sprich, S., Mimiaga, M. J., Surman, C., Knouse, L., Groves, M., & Otto, M. W. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy vs. relaxation with educational support for medication-treated adults with ADHD and persistent symptoms: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 304, 875-880. PMCID: PMC3641654

Novel Combination Treatment

Otto, M.W., Pachas, G.N., Cather, C., Hoeppner, S.S., Moshier, S.J., Hearon, B.A., Burrell, H.A., Laffer, A.B., Smits, J.A.J., & Evins, A.E. (2019). A placebo-controlled randomized trial of d-cycloserine augmentation of cue exposure therapy for smoking cessation. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 48, 65-76.  PMCID Pending.

Otto MW, Kredlow MA, Smits JA, Hofmann SG, Tolin DF, de Kleine RA, van Minnen A, Evins AE, Pollack MH.(2016). Enhancement of psychosocial treatment with d-cycloserine: Models, moderators, and future directions. Biol Psychiatry, 80, 274-283. PMCID: PMC4808479.

Otto MW, Pollack MH, Dowd SM, Hofmann SG, Pearlson G, Szuhany KL, Gueorguieva R, Krystal JH, Simon NM, Tolin DF. (2016). Randomized trial of d-cycloserine enhancement of cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder. Depress Anxiety, 33, 737-745. PMCID: PMC5958622.

Hofmann S. G., Meuret, A. E., Smits, J. A. J., Simon, N. M., Pollack, M. H., Eisenmenger, K. C., Shiekh, M., & Otto, M. W. (2006). Augmentation of exposure therapy for social anxiety disorder with D-Cycloserine.  Archives of General Psychiatry, 63, 298-304. PMCID: PNC16520435.

Factors Promoting or Hindering Therapeutic Learning

Kredlow, M. A., Eichenbaum, H., & Otto, M. W. (2018). Memory creation and modification: Enhancing the treatment of psychological disorders. American Psychologist, 73, 269-285. PMCID: PMC 5897133.

Kredlow MA, Unger LD, Otto MW. (2016). Harnessing reconsolidation to weaken fear and appetitive memories: A meta-analysis of post-retrieval extinction effects. Psychol Bull, 142(3), 314-36. PMCID: PMC4760909.

Basden, S. L., Orr, S. P., Otto, M. W. (2016) Impaired de novo fear conditioning in opiate-dependent outpatients. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 40, 824-830.

Szuhany KL, Bugatti M, Otto MW. A meta-analytic review of the effects of exercise on brain-derived neurotrophic factor. J Psychiatr Res. 2015 Jan;60:56-64. PMCID: PMC4314337.

Otto, M. W., Moshier, S. J., Kinner, D. G., Simon, N. M., Pollack, M. H., & Orr, S. P. (2014). De novo fear conditioning across diagnostic groups in the affective disorders: Evidence for learning impairments. Behavior Therapy, 45, 619-629. PMCID: PMC4603557.

Otto MW, Yeo RA. Hemispheric activation, affective judgments, and pain perception. Psychother Psychosom. 1993;60(3-4):186-94.

Anxiety Sensitivity and Substance Use Disorders

Zvolensky, M. J., Rosenfield, D., Garey, L., Kauffman, B. Y., Langdon, K. J., Powers, M. B., Otto, M. W., Davis, M. L., Marcus, B. H., Church, T. S., Frierson, G. M., Hopkins, L. B., Paulus, D. J., Baird, S. O., & Smits, J. A. J. (2018). Does exercise aid smoking cessation through reductions in anxiety sensitivity and dysphoria? Health Psychology, 37, 647-657. PMCID: PMC6032989.

Otto, M. W., Hearon, B. A., McHugh, R. K., Calkins, A. W., Pratt, E., Murray, H. W., Safren, S. A., & Pollack, M. H. (2014). A randomized, controlled trial of the efficacy of an interoceptive exposure-based CBT for treatment-refractory outpatients with opioid dependence.  Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 46, 402-411.  PMCID: PMC5937938.

McHugh RK, Otto MW. (2012). Profiles of distress intolerance in a substance-dependent sample. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse, 38(2), 161-165.

Hearon, B. A., Calkins, A. W., Halperin, D. M., McHugh, R. K., Murray, H. W., Otto, M. W. (2011). Anxiety sensitivity and illicit sedative use among opiate-dependent women and men. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 37, 43-47.

Health Behavior Promotion

Hearon, B. A., Beard, C., Kopeski, L. M., Smits, J. A. J., Otto, M. W., Björgvinsson, T. (2018). Attending to timely contingencies: Promoting physical activity uptake among adults with serious mental illness with an exercise-for-mood vs. an exercise-for-fitness prescription. Behavioral Medicine, 27, 1-8.

Baldwin AS, Kangas JL, Denman DC, Smits JA, Yamada T, Otto MW. (2016). Cardiorespiratory fitness moderates the effect of an affect-guided physical activity prescription: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Cogn Behav Therapy, 45(6):445-57.

Moshier, S.J., Szuhany, K.L., Hearon, B.A., Smits, J.A.J., Otto, M.W. (2016). Anxiety sensitivity uniquely predicts exercise behaviors in young adults seeking to increase physical activity. Behavior Modification, 40, 178-198.

Safren, S. A., O’Cleirigh, C., Tan, J. Y., Raminani, S. R., Reilly, L. C., Otto, M. W., & Mayer, K. H. (2009). A randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) in HIV-infected individuals.  Health Psychology, 28, 1-10.