DR. CONNOR HAGGARTY
Social Neuroscientist
I am a social neuroscientist interested in the role of affect in brain and behaviour.
Using a variety of techniques including neuroimaging (particularly EEG), psyhophysiology (facial EMG, GSR, HR) and behavioural measures I have spent the last few years researching the role of affective touch on sociability in clinical and typically developing populations. I completed by PhD in the SomAffect Lab Group (www.somaffect.org) at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, then completed an 18-month role there as a lecturer in Cognitive Neuroscience.
My first postdoc position looked into the endocannabinoid system (ENC) and the role this plays in PTSD. Colleagues showed that FAAH inhibition (which increases the concentration of endocannabinoids in the ENC) facilitated fear extinction, it is our aim to determine how this mechanism affects individuals with PTSD.
I have now begun a postdoc at University of Chicago in the Human Behavioural Pharmacology Lab (De Wit lab). Here, I will be researching the effects of pharmacological intervention on social behaviour. My first project is exploring the effect of MDMA on social behaviour and connectedness.
