Nicole McLaughlin

About

Nicole McLaughlin is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. Her research concentrates on investigating changes in clinical outcomes, neuroimaging, and cognitive functioning following neurocircuitry-based interventions. Her background includes a PhD from Suffolk University, a master's degree from the same institution, and a bachelor's degree from Boston University. She completed a neuropsychology fellowship at Butler Hospital, focusing on neuropsychology, and has been involved in various research projects, including her role as a Co-Investigator at the Conte Center for OCD Research. Her primary research interests involve exploring the neurobiological and cognitive effects of neurosurgical and neurostimulation treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), including deep brain stimulation and gamma knife capsulotomy. She has contributed to understanding clinical, neuroimaging, and cognitive changes after these interventions, as well as examining related neuropsychiatric symptoms and treatment outcomes. Her work has been recognized through multiple awards and her involvement in NIH-funded projects, emphasizing her focus on advancing neuropsychiatric treatment strategies.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Psychotherapist
• Psychology
• Internal medicine
• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Radiology
• Surgery
• Clinical psychology

Selected publications

• Deep brain stimulation for obsessive–compulsive disorder: a crisis of access

  Nature Medicine · 2022 · 79 citations

  DOI

• Genome-wide association study of pediatric obsessive-compulsive traits: shared genetic risk between traits and disorder

  Translational Psychiatry · 2021 · 49 citations

  = 0.71, p = 0.062). We report the first validated genome-wide significant variant for OC traits in PTPRD, downstream of the most significant locus in a previous OCD GWAS. OC traits measured in the community sample shared genetic risk with OCD case/control status. Our results demonstrate the feasibility and power of using trait-based approaches in community samples for genetic discovery.

  DOI

• Genome-wide analyses identify 30 loci associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder

  Nature Genetics · 2025-05-13 · 41 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Abstract Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) affects ~1% of children and adults and is partly caused by genetic factors. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis combining 53,660 OCD cases and 2,044,417 controls and identified 30 independent genome-wide significant loci. Gene-based approaches identified 249 potential effector genes for OCD, with 25 of these classified as the most likely causal candidates, including WDR6 , DALRD3 and CTNND1 and multiple genes in the major…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Laser Thermal Ventral Capsulotomy for Intractable Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

  Neurosurgery · 2021 · 31 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling condition characterized by intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors. A subset of individuals have severe, treatment-resistant illness and are nonresponsive to medication or behavioral therapies. Without response to conventional therapeutic options, surgical intervention becomes an appropriate consideration. OBJECTIVE: To report clinical outcomes and the safety profile of bilateral ventral anterior capsulotomy for OCD using magneti…

  DOI

• Genome-wide analyses identify 30 loci associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder

  medRxiv · 2024-03-13 · 25 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects ∼1% of children and adults and is partly caused by genetic factors. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analysis combining 53,660 OCD cases and 2,044,417 controls and identified 30 independent genome-wide significant loci. Gene-based approaches identified 249 potential effector genes for OCD, with 25 of these classified as the most likely causal candidates, including WDR6, DALRD3, CTNND1 and multiple genes in the MHC regio…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Neuroanatomical Changes After Ventral Capsulotomy for Intractable OCD: A Translat

  NIH · $740k · 2013–2018

• Neuroimaging and Neuromodulation Core

  NIH · $22.5M · 2019–2026

Frequent coauthors

• Keith A. Johnson

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  729 shared

• D. Cheng

  567 shared

• Joseph C. Wu

  486 shared

• Carl K. Hoh

  University of California, San Diego

  405 shared

• Monte S. Buchsbaum

  University of California, Irvine

  405 shared

• Marcelo F. Di Carli

  Harvard University

  405 shared

• Steven E. Arnold

  Harvard University

  324 shared

• Carolyn C. Meltzer

  University of Southern California

  324 shared

Labs

• McLaughlin LabPI

Awards & honors

• Sponsored as a neuropsychological fellow at the Vivian Smith…
• National Psychologist Trainee Register Scholarship, sponsore…
• Anxiety Disorders Association of America Career Development…
• Suffolk University Young Alumna Award (2010)
• National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program (2012-2…

Similar researchers at Brown University

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