Anthony King

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT ANTHONY KING

I am a clinical psychologist and brain researcher, and have a commitment to clinical service and translational research aimed at understanding the phenomenology and neurobiology of anxiety, depression, and PTSD, resilience factors, and neurobiological mechanisms of action of mindfulness- and compassion-based interventions for these conditions. I have contributed to development of novel interventions for anxiety, depression, and PTSD incorporating mindfulness and compassion training, and I have taught mindfulness skills to the public and to stressed and clinical populations for over 20 years. My research and others suggests that mindfulness training may lead to increased capacity for volitional shifting of attention, decreasing depressive or anxious rumination and worry, and that underlying inter-network connectivity between default mode and executive attention networks as potential psychological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying the salutary effects of mindfulness. I am also fascinated by individual differences in risk and resilience for anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and the role of childhood adversity on shaping neurocircuitry of social cognitive-affective processes and capacity for emotional regulation. In particular, I am studying potential gene x environment (and genomic x environment) interactions in risk for PTSD, in combat veterans and civilians. I have previously reported that certain haplotypes in adrenergic genes appear to be associated with resilience for adult PTSD risk. I am currently investigating genetics and epigenetics and cognitive, affective, neurobiological functioning in healthy people and people with PTSD.