The primary research focus of the Neurocognitive and Emotion Lab is to understand health-related factors that influence neurocognitive function including substance use, abuse, and dependence (particularly alcohol). Non-substance use disorders (“behavioral addiction”) and physiological response to stressors are emerging topics of study in the lab. Given the complexity of brain change (primarily in the domains of attention and working memory), a variety of techniques are used including traditional computerized cognitive batteries, physiological and electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings, eye tracking and pencil/paper neuropsychological measures. Lab members also assist with neuroscience outreach to middle and high school students.
Rebecca Gilbertson (PI) is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She completed her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology at the University of Kentucky and postdoctoral training in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Florida.
Recent projects and collaborations include:
*Use of Ecological Momentary Assessments to Evaluate Drinking in Native Women (Hanson, PI)
*Diurnal Cortisol, Ethnicity, Microaggression (Hargrove, Plan B thesis)
*Eye Tracking, Driving Simulation and Alcohol Scenes (Thompson, UROP)
*Alcohol-Related Stereotypes, Inhibitory Control, Eastern European Immigrants (Galeeva, Plan B thesis)
*Active Learning and Community Engagement: the "Mobile Neuroscience Lab" (Gilbertson, PI)
*Aging, Alcohol, Memory (B. Thomas, UROP)
Acquisition of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation System (Samargia-Grivette, PI)
Attentional Bias to Internet Gaming Images Using Eye Tracking (Gilbertson, PI)
Development of a Video Game Image Ratings Database (Gilbertson, Hammersley, MPI)
Heart Rate Variability as a Biomarker of Recovery among Alcohol Use Disorder Inpatients with Co-Occurring Anxiety Disorder (Anker, PI)
Stress System Function in Individuals with Gaming Disorder (Gilbertson, PI)
Cortisol, Substance Use and Adverse Childhood Experiences (Ravet, Plan B thesis)
Attachment, Gaming and Stress Susceptibility (Aid Daoud, Plan B thesis)
Bilingualism and Cognitive Performance (UROP)
ADHD, Exclusion and Physiological Responses (UROP)
Social Anxiety and Alcohol Use (UROP)
Attention, Affect and Smartphone Use (UROP)
*Data collection Spring 2025
Current Students
Josephine Abbott, Indira Galeeva, Jasmine Hargrove, Joel Nikula, Jagger Thompson, Bella Thomas, Tate Windhurst, Sully Maki, Cayden Kleffman, Abby Smith
Previous Students (NCLAB)
Emily Schulz (University of Iowa), Ryan St. Clair, Mariah Ravet (University of Florida), Ashley Baumann (University of Minnesota), Imane Aid Daoud (Concordia University), Erich Eberhardt (University of Maryland), Nathan Young (DePaul University), Dustyn Leff (UMN Medical School), Samuel Birkholz (Sanford Health; North Dakota State University), Sierra Swenson (Colorado State University-Cognitive Neuroscience ), Jaz Curtis (Finlo) (University of Minnesota),
Neuroscience Outreach Team/ UROP/ University Honors/ Directed Research
JoJo Belk, Kristen Jones, Mariah Schumacher, Sean Hushagen, Jacqulyn O'Neill, Erich Eberhardt, Hannah Lewis, Katie Oltz, Sam Wiechman, Katie Morarity, Jillian Hujanen, Alyssa Zimmerman, Emily Segler, Dallas Capesius, Olivia Gerbracht, Annaka Scherf, Mariel Olsem, Andrew McCarty
Selected Grants/Publications/Presentations*
2025
Hanson, J.D., Charboneau, M., Gilbertson, R.J., O'Leary, M.O. "Ecological Momentary Assessment to Evaluate Alcohol Use With American Indian Women" (accepted talk, Research Society on Alcohol) in accepted symposium "Advancing Alcohol Research in Partnership with American Indian and Alaska Native Communities", Hanson, J.D. & McDonell, M. (co-chairs).
Hanson, J.D., Clough, M., Thompson, M., Fiedler, E., Versnik Nowak, A., Gilbertson, R.J. "Adapting Evidence-Based Alcohol Interventions for Indigenous Communities: A Scoping Review." Implementation Research and Practice (submitted).
Galeeva I., Abbott, J., Scherf A., Kleffman, C., Gilbertson R., Ph.D., Hanson J., Ph.D. "Ecological Momentary Assessment for Alcohol Use: A Scoping review. "(In preparation)
Galeeva, I., Hargrove, J., Gilbertson, R.J. The Influence of Alcohol-Related Stereotypes on Inhibitory Control of Eastern European Immigrants and Non-Immigrant Americans (submitted, Midwestern Psychological Association).
Hargrove, J., Abbott, J., Galeeva, I., & Gilbertson, R.J. The Effects of Microaggressions and Ethnic Identity on Stress System Response (submitted, Midwestern Psychological Association).
Thomas, B., Smith, A., Gilbertson, R.J. The Effects of Age and Feedback on Working Memory (submitted, Midwestern Psychological Association).
Thompson, J., Abbott, J., Dwyer, R., Kleffman, C., Larson, L.,Nikula, J., Whiteis, S., Wilder, J., Scherf, A., Downs, E., & Gilbertson, R.J. Do Alcohol-Related Scenes Have an Effect on Driving Performance and Attention (submitted, Midwestern Psychological Association).
Galeeva, I., & Gilbertson, R.J. Alcohol Use Contexts and Drinking Motives Among Eastern European Immigrant and Non-immigrant Women (presented, UM-TC Women's Health Research Conference).
2024
Gilbertson, R.J., Hammersley, J., Birkholz, S.A., Keefe, K. Standardization of a gaming image database for visual processing research. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions.
Curtis, J., Swenson, S., Olsem, M., Scherf, A., & Gilbertson R.J. Physiological Implication of Exclusion in Individuals with ADHD Symptomatology. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research.
Galeeva, I., Hargrove, J., Gilbertson, R.J. "The Association of Implicit and Explicit Cognition Measures and Gaming Behavior" Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2024).
McCarty, A.P., Gilbertson, R.J., Hammersley, J., Hale, D., Birkholz, S., & Keefe, K.M. "Developing a Standardized Video Game Image Database" Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2024).
*Finlo, J., Gilbertson, R.J. "Physiological Implication of Exclusion in Individuals with ADHD Symptomatology" Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2024). *PSI CHI Regional Research Award Winner
Hanson, J.D., Galeeva, I., & Gilbertson, R.J. "EMA Study Design to Capture Alcohol Use with American Indian and Alaska Native Women" Research Society on Alcoholism. (June 2024).
Congratulations to the following student researchers for their local presentations:
Scherf, A. "A Systematic Review of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in Substance Use Data Collection Among Native American/American Indian Populations" (CEHSP Research and Scholarship Showcase)
Thomas, B., Nikula, J., Curtis, J., Galeeva, I., McCarty, A., Olsem, M., Thompson, J., Rebecca Gilbertson, Ph.D. "Effects of Videogame Usage on Attentional Bias towards Gaming-Related Imagery" (TPUP, CEHSP Research and Scholarship Showcase)
Curtis, J., Olsem, M., Neuroscience Outreach Team '24, & Dr. Rebecca Gilbertson, Ph.D. "Neuroscience Outreach and Student Science Attitudes: A Longitudinal Study" (TPUP)
Congratulations to the following student researchers for their presentations at NCUR 2024:
Jaz Curtis, Annaka Scherf
2023
Award: Use of Ecological Momentary Assessments to Evaluate Drinking in Native Women Project Investigators: Hanson, Jessica (Principal Investigator),
Novak, Amy (Co- Principal), Gilbertson, Rebecca (Co-Principal) , Sponsoring Organization: National Institutes of Health, R15AA030673
Award: Acquisition of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation System: Samargia-Grivette (Principal Investigator), Edmund, David, Lee, June, Hessler, Eric, Chen-Edmund, Jian-Jun & Gilbertson, Rebecca (Co-Principal), Sponsoring Organization: U of M, Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry and Scholarship (GIA)
Hanson, J.D., Harris, A., Gilbertson, R.J., Charboneau, M., O'Leary, M. (2023). Feasibility and acceptability of using ecological momentary assessments to evaluate alcohol use with American Indian women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(12), 6071. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20126071
Gilbertson, R., Schulz, E.M. & Anker, J.J. (Author & Presenter), "Association between Anxiety, Heart Rate Variability, and Alcohol Consumption in Treatment-Seeking Individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder" Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2023).
Schulz, E.M., Gilbertson, R., & Anker, J.J. (Author & Presenter), "Heart Rate Variability as a Biomarker of Recovery among Alcohol Use Disorder Inpatients with Co-Occurring Anxiety Disorder" Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2023).
Shelby, A., Finlo, J., Downs, E., Gilbertson, R., Moberg, R., Bleth, A., Childers, B.,Hessler, E., & Wilemsen, P. "Heart Rate During Virtual Reality in College Students" Twin Ports Undergraduate Psychology Conference. (April 2023).
Swenson, S. & Gilbertson, R. "The Relationship Between Cognitive Function and Bilingualism in Young Adults" Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2023).
Congratulations to the following student researchers for their local presentations:
Sierra Swenson (TPUP, STR-CUR, MPA, Neuroscience North); JoJo Belk (STR-CUR); Jill Anderson (CEHSP Research and Scholarship Showcase)
Alicia Niemann, Karley Knutson, Elizabeth Johnson (TPUP); Emily Schulz (Neuroscience North)
2022
Gilbertson, R. J., Hessler, E. E., & Leff*, D. J. (2022). Active learning and community engagement: Pedagogical synergy through the "Mobile Neuroscience Lab" project. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 21(3), A322-A329.
Gilbertson*, R. J., Leff*, D. J., & Downs, E. (2022). Eye-tracking of attentional allocation during processing of game technologies: Association with daily playtime and gaming consequences. Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 9, 55-62.
Gilbertson, R. J. (Author & Presenter), Hessler, E. E. (Author), National Institute on Teaching of Psychology, "Sharing Neuroscience Cheer: Assessment of a Service Learning Project in a Physiological Psychology Course," St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. (January 2022).
Gilbertson, R., Ravet, M., (Author & Presenter), "Video Gaming and Alcohol Use in College Students During COVID-19," Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2022).
Gilbertson, R., Ravet, M., (Author & Presenter), "Nicotine Use and Mental Health in College Students During COVID-19," Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2022).
Gilbertson, R., St. Clair, R., & Jones, K. (Author & Presenter), "Qualitative Assessment of Students' Science Attitudes Following Neuroscience Outreach," Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2022).
Hanson, J.D., Harris, A., & Gilbertson, R. "Feasibility and Acceptability of Using EMA to Evaluate Alcohol Use With American Indian Women" Research Society on Alcoholism. (June 2022).
Ravet, M., & Gilbertson, R. "Alcohol Use, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Physiological Stress". Research Society on Alcoholism. (June 2022).
Ravet, M., & Gilbertson, R. "Hazardous Substance Use, Subjective Stress, and Adverse Childhood Experiences in College Students. American Psychological Association (August 2022).
2021
Gilbertson, R., Perpich, M., (Author), Ravet, M., (Author), Muzzy, B., (Author) "First Generation Status, Physiological Markers of Stress, and Mental Health," Midwestern Psychological Assocation. (April 2021).
Gilbertson, R., Baumann, A., (Author), Pannell, H., (Author) "Problematic Gaming Behavior, Attentional Bias, and Sleep," Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2021).
Gilbertson, R., Lewis, H., (Author) "The Effects of Social Anxiety on the Relationship with Drinking Motives and Consequences of Alcohol Use," Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2021).
Gilbertson, R., Ravet, M., (Author), Leff, D., (Author) "Video Gaming and Alcohol Use in College Students," Midwestern Psychological Association. (April 2021).
2020
Hammersley, J., Gilbertson, R., Kolaczkowski, B., (Author), Leff, D., (Author) "Development of a Video Game Image Ratings Database," Association for Psychological Science. (May 2020).
2019
Gilbertson, R. J., Leff, D. J.*, & Young, N. A.* (2019). Stress system response and decision making in heavy episodic users of alcohol and online video games. Substance Use and Misuse. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2019.1618333
Gilbertson, R. J., & Walton, K. M.* (2019). Internet gaming disorder: Considering problematic internet use as an addiction. Dark Side of Media & Technology: A 21st Century Guide to Media and Technological Literacy (pp. 214-224). New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing. https://www.peterlang.com/view/title/65416?format=PBK
Gilbertson, R. J., & Gentile, D. Video gaming: A challenge for the reward system? Handbook of Communication Science and Biology. Routledge/Taylor&Francis. [Accepted]
Leff, D. J., (Author & Presenter), Gilbertson, R. J., (Author), Eberhardt, E.* "Ocular Imaging of Attentional Bias To Alcohol Or Behavioral Addiction Cues", Research Society on Alcoholism, Minneapolis. (June 2019).
Birkholz, S., (Author & Presenter)*, O’Neill, J., (Author & Presenter)*, Ait Daoud, I.*, Hasselbrink, J.*, Wiechman, S.*, Walton, K. M., Gilbertson, R. J., (Author) "Assessment of Students’ Science Attitudes Following Neuroscience Outreach", Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois, United States. (May 2019).
Eberhardt, E., (Author & Presenter)*, Gilbertson, R. J., (Author), Leff, D. J. "Evidence of Attentional Bias in Gaming Disorder Using Ocular Imaging", Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois. (May 2019).
2018
Leff, D. J., (Author)*, Walton, K. M., (Author)*, Gilbertson, R. J., (Author & Presenter) "Association of Physiological Response to Alcohol and Video Game Images and Self-Reported Behavior", Research Society on Alcoholism, San Diego, California. (June 2018).
Leff, D. J., (Author & Presenter)*, Gilbertson, R. J., (Author), Chapman, H., (Author)*, O'Neill, J. E., (Author)* "Attentional Bias to Online Video Gaming Images Using Eye Tracking
Technology", Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois. (May 2018).
Walton, K. M., (Author & Presenter)*, Gilbertson, R. J., (Author) "Cognitive and Psychological Concomitants Associated with Internet Gaming Disorder Symptoms", Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, Illinois. (May 2018).
2017
Gilbertson, R. J., Norton, T. R., Beery, S. H., & Lee, K. R.* (2017). Web-based alcohol intervention in first-year college students: Efficacy of full-program administration prior to second semester. Substance Use and Misuse. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2017.1392979
Leff, D. J., (Author & Presenter)*, Young, N. A., (Author)*, Gilbertson, R. J., (Author)
"Decision-Making Following Psychosocial Stress in Internet Gamers Who Use Alcohol: The Influence of Co-Morbid Binge Behaviors", Research Society on Alcoholism, Denver, Colorado, United States. (June 2017).
Gilbertson, R. J., (Author & Presenter), Leff, D. J., (Author)* "Non-Substance Related Addictive Disorders: Stress Reactivity and Relationship to Problematic Alcohol Consumption", Fourth International Congress on Alcoholism and Stress, Volterra, Italy. (May 2017).
Hujanen, J., (Author & Presenter)*, Birkholz, S., (Author & Presenter)*, Hessler, E. E., (Author), Gilbertson, R. J., (Author) "Neuroscience Outreach in the Middle School Classroom", Midwestern Psychological Association - Society for Teaching of Psychology, Chicago, Illinois, United States. (May 2017).
Gilbertson, R. J., (Author & Presenter), Leff, D. J., (Author)*, Hessler, E. E., (Author)
"Spreading Neuroscience Cheer: Development of the “Mobile Neuroscience Lab” for Use in Secondary Education Classrooms", National Institute on Teaching of Psychology, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. (January 2017).
2016
Gilbertson, R. J. (2016). Elevated consumption of ethanol and caffeine in adolescent rodents during acquisition: The role of ethanol concentration. Journal of Caffeine Research, 6(4), 172-178. https://doi.org/10.1089/jcr.2016.0009
Gilbertson, R. J., (Author & Presenter), Leff, D. J., (Author)*, Young, N. A., (Author)*, Carlson, S. R., (Author) "Alcohol and Internet Gaming: Co- Occurring Binge Behaviors?" Research Society on Alcoholism, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. (2016).
2015
Gilbertson, R. J., (Author & Presenter), Norton, T. R., (Author), Beery, S. H., (Author), Lee, K. R., (Author)* "Personalized Web-Based Alcohol Intervention in First-Year College Students: Universal Delivery and Longitudinal Effectiveness", Research Society on Alcoholism, San Antonio, Texas, United States. (2015).
**Dr. Gilbertson has more than 65 presentations and publications, many with student co-authors. See complete curriculum vitae here.
Media Contributions
"UMD Host CEHSP Research and Scholarship Showcase", Fox21-KQDS
"UMD showcases Student Research", ABC-WDIO
"Rewarding Research: CEHSP student projects featured in year-end showcase ", CEHSP News
"Psychology Students Present EEG Demo at UMD," Fox21-KQDS
"Brain Teaser," University of Minnesota Duluth News
Neuroscience Outreach media contributions