Overview

Dr. Myers joined NJMS in 2011. She is a Research Scientist affiliated with the Neurobehavioral Research
Lab (NBRL) at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center-New Jersey Health Care System in East Orange, NJ. Her
research interests focus on understanding the brain substrates of learning and memory, using techniques
including computational neuroscience and human experimental neuropsychology. She has current and past
funding from Federal agencies including NIH and VA to study how learning and cognition is disrupted in
disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and
amnesia. Current research is focused on investigating whether changes in cognition can serve as markers
of short-term risk for suicidal behavior in at-risk individuals, allowing better targeting of clinical care to
individuals when it is most needed. Dr. Myers teaches the PhD-level Research Design and Statistics course
and participates in team-taught graduate courses including Behavioral, Cognitive and Clinical
Neuroscience. She has served on grant review panels for the NIH, NSF and VA, and currently serves as
chair of the VA NJHCS Research and Development Committee. She has authored and co-authored over
140 peer-reviewed scientific articles and several books including the undergraduate-level textbook
"Learning and Memory: From Brain to Behavior," currently in its 4th edition.

Education

Diplom, 1991, Diploma of the Imperial College of Science and Technology (London), Electrical Engineering
PHD, 1990, Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, Neural Systems Engineering
B .S., 1987, University of Delaware, Computing and Information Sciences

Curriculum Vitae

View CV

Relevant Publications

Interian, A., Myers, C. E., Chesin, M., Kline, A., St. Hill, L., King, A., Miller, R., Latorre, M., Gara, M., Stanley, B. & Keilp, J. (2020). Towards the objective assessment of suicidal states: Neurocognitive deficits may be temporally related to suicide attempt. Psychiatry Research, 287:112624.

Sheynin, J., Baetu, I., Collins-Praino, L. E., Myers, C. E., Winwood-Smith, R. & Moustafa, A. A. (2020). Maladaptive avoidance patterns in Parkinson's disease are exacerbated by symptoms of depression. Behavioural Brain Research, 382: 112473.

Zimering, M. B., Pulikeyil, A. T., Myers, C. E. & Pang, K. C. H. (2020). Serotonin 2A receptor autoantibodies increase in adult traumatic brain injury in association with neurodegeneration. Journal of Endocrinology and Diabetes, 7(1):1-8.

Spiegler, K. M., Palmieri, J., Pang, K. C. H. & Myers, C. E. (2020). A reinforcement-learning model of active avoidance behavior: Differences between Sprague Dawley and Wistar-Kyoto rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 393:112784.

Kumar, D. S., Benedict, E., Wu, O. Q., Rubin, E., Gluck, M. A., Foltin, R. W., Myers, C. E. & Vadhan, N. P. (2019). Learning functions in short-term cocaine users. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 9:100169.

Allen, M. T. & Myers, C. E. (2019). A computer-based avatar task can differentiate avoidance and non-avoidant coping styles. Anxiety, Stress and Coping, 32(5):477-483.

Sheynin, J., Myers, C. E., Ghafar, F., Morris, A. N., Moreley, K., Haber, P. & Moustafa, A. A. (2019). A pilot study of escape, avoidance, and approach behaviors in treated alcohol-dependent males. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 41(6):601- 614.

Allen, M. T., Myers, C. E., Beck, K. D., Pang, K. C. H. & Servatius, R. J. (2019). Inhibited personality temperaments translated through enhanced avoidance and associative learning increase vulnerability for PTSD. Frontiers in Psychology, 10:496.

Tseng, C.-L., Aron, D. C., Soroka, O., Lu, S.-E., Myers, C. E. & Pogach, L. M. (2020). Racial differences in trends of serious hypoglycemia among higher risk older adults in US Veterans Health Administration, 2004-2015: Relationship to comorbid conditions, insulin use, and hemoglobin A1c level. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications, 34(3):10745.

Sinha, N., Reagh, Z. M., Tustison, N. J., Shaw, A., Myers, C. E., Hill, D., Yassa, M. A. & Gluck, M. A. (2019). ABCA7 risk variant in healthy older African Americans is associated with a functionally isolated entorhinal cortex mediating deficient generalization of prior discrimination training. Hippocampus, 29(6):527-538.

Areas Of Interest

Behavior Cognitive neuroscience Computational neuroscience Dentate gyrus Hippocampus Learning and memory Suicide/suicidality

Course List

CBNP5032Q		Behav, Cogni, & Clinical NS
GSND5135Q		Research Design&Statistics

The Myers lab investigates the brain bases of learning and memory, especially the
role of the hippocampus and associated structures such as entorhinal cortex and
dentate gyrus, and understanding learning and memory deficits in various patient
populations as a result of brain damage or dysfunction to these regions. One research
technique involves computational neuroscience, including the development of neural
network models of hippocampal function, to study the ways in which disrupting the
simulated circuits can produce behaviors similar to those observed in humans and
animals with corresponding brain damage. Another research technique is to develop
behavioral tests of hippocampal function, based on predictions of the computational
models. These tests have been used to assess hippocampal-dependent function in
individuals with hippocampal damage (e.g. amnesia) and also in individuals with
milder degrees of hippocampal atrophy, such as occurs in prodromal Alzheimer's
disease, in schizophrenia, and in anxiety-related disorders such as post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). Recent directions include understanding the brain bases of
opioid addiction, and cognitive changes that may mediate (and perhaps signal) an
individual's risk of suicidal behavior.