Ed Bernat

Ed Bernat is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, specializing in clinical and cognitive neuroscience. His research focuses on brain mechanisms underlying individual differences in cognitive and affective processing, particularly in relation to psychopathology, substance use, and health disparities. He leads the Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, investigating transdiagnostic models of psychopathology, neurophysiological responses to emotional stimuli, and the impact of racial discrimination on cognitive processes. His work integrates advanced EEG/MEG neuroimaging with peripheral physiology measures to study treatment responses in substance dependence and anxiety/depression interventions.

Key research areas include substance use disorders, health disparities among African American populations, and the development of interventions targeting neurophysiological mechanisms. Funding sources include the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), University of Maryland, and George Washington University. His lab collaborates with community treatment sites to address underrepresented minority health outcomes. Methodological expertise spans time-frequency EEG analysis, functional connectivity, and ERP-based approaches.

Recent projects explore how mediofrontal theta oscillations predict treatment responses in anxiety and substance use disorders, and how discrimination experiences influence risk behaviors through neural pathways. The lab also evaluates dissemination strategies for evidence-based interventions in clinical settings.