Kelly Cosgrove is the Charles B.G. Murphy Professor of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience and of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at Yale School of Medicine. She serves as Co-Director of the T32 Translational Alcohol Research Program and leads the Cosgrove Lab, which focuses on examining the neurochemical and molecular basis of addiction and psychiatric disorders using PET brain imaging technology. Dr. Cosgrove's educational background includes a PhD in Psychology from the University of Minnesota (2002) and a Psychology Internship at the Medical University of South Carolina (2003). She began her career as a clinical psychologist working with individuals managing alcohol and drug use disorders before transitioning to research to inform better treatments for substance use disorders. Her research program centers on using neuroreceptor imaging techniques to gain insights into the brains of people with substance use and stress-related disorders. Key areas include examining the effects of chronic alcohol consumption on the neuroimmune system, studying mu and kappa opioid receptor systems in alcohol use disorder, investigating stress and neuroimmune systems in PTSD, analyzing sex differences in dopaminergic responses to nicotine, and measuring neuroimmune states in individuals with opioid use disorder during early recovery. Her work particularly emphasizes individual and sex/gender differences in addiction mechanisms. Analysis of her recent publications (2024-2025) reveals a strong focus on neuroimmune responses in alcohol use disorder with particular attention to sex differences, advanced PET imaging methodologies, and the relationship between neurochemistry and clinical outcomes. Her research spans multiple disciplines including neuroscience, psychiatry, radiology, and women's health. Microglia-mediated neuroimmune suppression in PTSD Sex differences in neuroimmune system deficits in alcohol use disorder Novel PET imaging techniques for studying receptor systems Relationship between neurochemistry and cognitive function in addiction Dr. Cosgrove serves as Principal Investigator for the NIH-funded study 'HPA axis function in the brains of PTSD, Trauma Exposed, or Otherwise Healthy research participants utilizing PET and MRI imaging' (completion date 08/31/2025) and is a Sub Investigator on several other clinical trials examining substance use disorders and neuroimaging. She collaborates extensively with researchers including Nabeel Nabulsi, Sherry McKee, Richard Carson, Ansel Hillmer, and David Matuskey. Her laboratory is part of multiple research initiatives including the Center for Nicotine and Tobacco Use Research at Yale (CENTURY), Women's Health Research at Yale, the Yale Biomedical Imaging Institute, and the Translational Brain Imaging Program. The Cosgrove Lab actively recruits volunteers for imaging studies examining addiction and psychiatric disorders.
