Ana Abrantes

About

Ana Abrantes is a Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. Her research focuses on developing and testing novel interventions to reduce relapse risk among individuals with alcohol and other drug use disorders, including nicotine dependence. Her current projects involve the use of text messaging, smartphone applications, neurostimulation techniques such as tDCS, and EMA/EMI approaches. Additionally, Dr. Abrantes conducts research on physical activity promotion for individuals with substance use and mental health disorders, testing interventions supported by devices like Fitbit, physical activity apps, and peer-facilitated approaches. Her work aims to improve treatment outcomes and health behaviors in these populations through innovative, technology-based strategies.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Clinical psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Physical therapy
• Social psychology

Selected publications

• Development and initial validation of the Exercise Sensitivity Questionnaire

  Mental health and physical activity · 2020 · 31 citations

  DOI

• Project CHOICE: Choosing Healthy Options in Coping with Emotions, an EMA/EMI Plus In-Person Intervention for Alcohol Use

  Substance Abuse · 2020 · 30 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  : This open pilot represents a feasible, acceptable, and promising direction in delivering interventions in the moment when risk is highest, utilizing smartphone capabilities.

  DOI

• Stress, coping and silver linings: How depressed perinatal women experienced the COVID-19 pandemic

  Journal of Affective Disorders · 2021 · 22 citations

  DOI

• Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Default Mode Network During Opioid Use and Cessation in Treatment‐Seeking Persons

  European Journal of Neuroscience · 2025-01-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Resting-state functional connectivity analyses have been used to examine synchrony in neural networks in substance use disorders (SUDs), with the default mode network (DMN) one of the most studied. Prior research has generally found less DMN synchrony during use and greater synchrony during cessation, although little research has utilized this method with opioid use. This study examined resting brain activity in treatment-seeking persons who use opioids at two points-when using opioids and when…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Influence of Perimenstrual Daily Ovarian Hormones on Anxiety and Cigarette Craving

  Nicotine & Tobacco Research · 2025-02-27 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  INTRODUCTION: Estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) and their fluctuation during the female menstrual cycle have been independently linked to both nicotine reinforcement and anxiety. The fluctuation and withdrawal of E2 and P during perimenstrum (days before and during menses) is a vulnerability window for emotional distress, thus the hormonal influence on anxiety and craving may be amplified during perimenstrum. METHOD: Naturalistic daily data were collected from non-treatment-seeking females who…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• A Tailored Physical Activity Smartphone App for Patients with Alcohol Dependence

  NIH · $742k · 2016–2022

• NIH Grant K23DA019950

  NIH · $925k · 2012

• tDCS for Increasing Exercise Adherence in Individuals with Elevated Depressive Symptoms

  NIH · $341k · 2017–2019

Frequent coauthors

• Michael D. Stein

  Boston University

  296 shared

• Lisa A. Uebelacker

  Butler Hospital

  265 shared

• Richard A. Brown

  The University of Texas at Austin

  247 shared

• Claire E. Blevins

  Providence College

  211 shared

• Cynthia L. Battle

  Butler Hospital

  190 shared

• Samantha G. Farris

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  161 shared

• David R. Strong

  University of California, San Diego

  155 shared

• Tosca D. Braun

  Brown University

  120 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Clinical Psychology

  University of California, San Diego

  2001

• Ph.D., Clinical Psychology

  San Diego State University

  2001

• A.B., Psychology

  Harvard University

  1995

Similar researchers at Brown University

• Karen Furieh-148
• Rena Wingh-146
• Lawrence Priceh-132