Dr. Alexandra Roach Lab

We investigate how stress, anxiety, and pain are affected by mindfulness and neuromodulatory techniques. Using electrophysiological equipment, we measure stress biomarkers. Our goal is to improve stress, anxiety, and pain management through neuromodulatory methods like vagal nerve stimulation, which we achieve through deep breathing exercises.

Current projects:

• Observable Differences in Physiological Markers of Respiratory Vagal Nerve Stimulation in Deep Breathing Mindfulness Training
• The Role of Equine Interaction in Mindfulness Practice: Effects on State Mindfulness, Emotional Affect, and Heart Rate Variability

Skills

Students participating in undergraduate research in my laboratory have an opportunity to learn some combination of the following skills:

• data collection involving human subjects
• measuring affect (stress, anxiety, depression)
• investigating effects of mindfulness and stress reduction techniques
• measuring physiological markers related to stress such as heart rate variability (HRV) and electrodermal activity (EDA)
• high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS)
• neuromodulatory effects of brain stimulation on affect including depression
• pain management and pain empathy
• data processing (filtering, artifact removal, interpolation)
• data analysis

Interested in joining the PANE Lab? Please fill out this application for consideration:

Application Form

Examples of past projects and presentations:

• Observable differences in physiological markers of respiratory vagal nerve stimulation in deep breathing mindfulness training? 32^st Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS), Boston, MA. 2025
• Mindfulness Without Imagery: Mindfulness Interventions for Individuals with Aphantasia. 32^st Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS), Boston, MA. 2025
• Pet the Pain Away. 31^st Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS), Toronto, ON, Canada. 2024.
• COVID-19 and its Effects on Executive Function, Mood, and Anxiety. 30^th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, San Francisco, CA. 2023.
• Comorbidity of Anxiety and Depression and the Impact on Cognitive Control Dysfunctions: A Review. USC Aiken 14^th Annual Scholar Showcase, Aiken, SC. 2020.
• Noninvasive Brain Stimulation and Its Role in Reducing Anxiety: An HD-tDCS Review. USC Aiken Summer Scholars Institute Summer Symposium, Aiken, SC. 2020.
• Effects of high definition transcranial direct current stimulation on inhibitory control. USC Aiken Summer Scholars Institute Summer Symposium, Aiken, SC. 2019.
• Anxiety, inhibitory control and attentional control using virtual reality technology. 65^th Annual meeting of Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA), Jacksonville, FL. 2019.
• Effects of high definition transcranial direct current stimulation on inhibitory control. 48^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN), San Diego, CA. 2018.
• Vascular risk factors for diabetes in late adolescents and young adults, an assessment of working memory. 25^th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS), Boston, MA.
• The effects of vascular risk factors on inhibitory control in cognitively healthy young
• Childhood emotional invalidation and right hemispheric involvement during a pain empathy task: An EEG study. 8^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Neuroscience (S4SN), Washington DC. 2017.
• Efficacy of routine TMS for refractory depression in Active Duty Service Members in a DoD outpatient behavioral health clinic. 9^th Annual Meeting of the Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS), Kissimmee, FL. 2017.

About the Professor

Dr Alexandra Roach

PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of California Davis ‘14
MS in Experimental Psychology, Western Washington University ‘07
BA in American Studies, Pomona College ‘94

Courses Taught

PSYC A360 - Cognitive Psychology 
PSYC A361 - Cognitive Psychology Lab
PSYC A375 - Neurobiology of Stress
PSYC A470 - Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience 
PSYC A471 - Neuroscience Lab
PSYC A472 - Systems & Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC A475 - Psychopharmacology
PSYC A499 - Senior Reflective Capstone
PSYC A760 - Applied Neuroscience for the Mental Health Professional (Graduate course)

Current Lab Members

Ashley Bush
Mary Baker
Tess McCormick
Kyler Slagle
Rayne Szilveszter

Former Lab Members