Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · PsychologyBurkhouse Lab
Katie L Burkhouse · University Park, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Katie L. Burkhouse's lab at Penn State University focuses on understanding how trauma and maternal depression affect children's mental health. They study the brain's response to negative and positive emotional situations to find early indicators of depression in children. This research aims to develop new prevention strategies for youth at risk of developing mood disorders.
maternal depressionbrain functionnegative emotion processinginternalizing symptomsreward responsivenesshigh-risk youthneurodevelopmentintervention strategiesearly childhood
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the relationship between maternal depression and the onset of depression in high-risk youth.
AIM 02Examine the brain networks involved in processing negative emotions in children at risk for depression.
AIM 03Identify protective and risk factors that influence the development of internalizing symptoms in children of depressed mothers.
AIM 04Chart the developmental trajectories of reward responsiveness in young children to inform prevention strategies.
AIM 05Explore the influences of biological sex and puberty on mental health outcomes in at-risk youth.
Skills the Lab Values
fMRIevent-related potentials (ERPs)longitudinal study designpsychophysiological assessmentsbehavioral testingdata collection and analysissurvey methodologyinterview techniquesneuroimaging analysis
Output against the department
Publications98bottom 26% of dept.220th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations1.8kbottom 16% of dept.250th of 296
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.