Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Evansville
FOCUS
I am interested in how the brain encodes information and controls various kinds of behavior. This involves using both psychological and neuroscientific approaches to examine things like motivation, learning and memory. Much of my research explores these areas using Pavlovian-instrumental transfer tasks (PIT) with rodents, and humans (see figure below) across motivational systems. PIT is an integrative behavioral approach that fuses Pavlovian and instrumental learning processes. The aversive PIT work utilizes a model of coping based in negatively reinforced avoidance behavior. This research explores how avoidance learning fundamentally changes the way threats are processed by the central nervous system. Appetitive PIT has been a very effective paradigm used to study addiction and reward.
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PUBLICATIONS
Campese VD, Brannigan LA and LeDoux JE.
Conditional control of instrumental avoidance by context following extinction.
Front. Behav. Neurosci. 2021; 15:730113. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.730113
Campese VD.
The lesser evil: Pavlovian-instrumental transfer and aversive motivation.
Behavioural Brain Research. 2021, 113431, ISSN 0166-4328, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113431.
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Campese VD, Kim IT, Draus C, and LeDoux JE.
Motivational factors underlying modulatory control of active avoidance.
Learn. Mem. 2020. 27: 477-482.
Campese VD, Kim IT, Hou M, Draus C, Kurpas B, Burke KJ, and LeDoux JE.
Chemogenetic inhibition reveals that processing relative but not absolute threat requires basal amygdala. 23 October 2019; 39 (43) 8510-8516; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2530-18.2019
Campese VD, Soroeta JM, Vazey EM, Aston-Jones G, LeDoux JE, Sears RM, 2017. Noradrenergic regulation of central amygdala in aversive Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer. eNeuro 13 October 2017, eneuro.0224-17.2017; doi: 10.1523/eneuro.0224-17.2017
Campese VD, Kim IT, Rojas G, LeDoux JE, 2017.
Pavlovian extinction and recovery effects in aversive Pavlovian to instrumental transfer.
Front. Behav. Neurosci., 25 September 2017. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00179
Diaz-Mataix L, Piper WT, Schiff HC, Roberts CH, Campese VD, Sears RM and LeDoux JE, 2017.
Characterization of the amplificatory effect of norepinephrine in the acquisition of Pavlovian threat associations.
Learning & memory 24(9):432-439.
LeDoux JE, Moscarello JM, Sears RM, Campese VD, 2016.
The Birth, Death, and Resurrection of Avoidance: A Reconceptualization of Avoidance in Light of the Neural Basis of Pavlovian Aversive Conditioning.
Mol Psychiatry. 2016 Oct 18. doi: 10.1038/mp.2016.166.
Campese VD, Gonzaga R, Moscarello JM, LeDoux JE, 2015.
Modulation of instrumental responding by a conditioned threat stimulus requires lateral and central amygdala.
Front. Behav. Neurosci. 9:293. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00293.
Campese VD, Sears RM, Moscarello JM, Diaz-Mataix L, Cain CK, LeDoux JE, 2015.
The neural foundations of reaction and action in aversive motivation.
Curr Top Behav Neurosci. Dec 8: PMID: 26643998.
Dunsmoor JE, Campese VD, Ceceli AO, LeDoux JE, Phelps EA, 2014.
Novelty-facilitated extinction: Providing a novel outcome in place of an expected threat diminishes recovery of defensive responses.
Biological Psychiatry, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.12.008
Campese VD, Kim J, Lazaro-Munoz G, Pena L, LeDoux JE, Cain CK, 2014.
Lesions of lateral or central amygdala abolish aversive Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer in rats. Front Behav Neurosci. May 7; 8: 161.
Campese VD, Delamater AR. 2014.
Dorsal hippocampus inactivation disrupts spontaneous recovery of conditioned magazine approach in rats
Behav Brain Res. Aug 1; 269: 37-43.
Campese VD, McCue M, Lazaro-Munoz G, LeDoux JE, Cain CK, 2013.
Development of an aversive Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer task in rat.
Front Behav Neurosci; 7: 176.
Campese VD, Delamater AR, 2013.
ABA and ABC renewal of conditioned magazine approach are not impaired by dorsal hippocampus inactivation or lesions.
Behav Brain Res. Jul 1; 248:62-73.
Scarlet J, Campese VD, Wheeler D, Delamater AR, 2012.
Differential involvement of the basolateral amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex in the formation of sensory-specific associations in conditioned flavor preference and magazine approach paradigms.
Eur J Neurosci, Jun; 35(11):1799-809.
Scarlet J, Campese VD, Delamater AR, 2009.
Sensory-specific associations in flavor preference reversal learning.
Learning & Behavior, 37, 179-187.
Delamater AR, Campese VD, Westbrook RF, 2009.
Renewal and spontaneous recovery, but not latent inhibition, are mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid in appetitive conditioning.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 35, 224-237.
Delamater AR, Campese VD, Lolordo VM, Sclafani A, 2006.
Unconditioned stimulus devaluation effects in nutrient-conditioned flavor preferences.
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 32, 295-306.
STUDENTS
Current
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Allison Statler
Sue Prasad
Chaitanya Cherukupalli
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Past
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Piper Rennerfeldt
Suarav Gupta
Miles Steigler
Michael Anderson
Savannah Cook
Elyse Talley