Lindsay Oberman, Ph.D.

I am a research psychologist with a focus on clinical neuroscience. The focus of my research is to investigate the mechanisms that contribute to the function and dysfunction of neural systems involved in the core symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders with the ultimate goal of developing novel treatment strategies. I have expertise in multiple human in vivo neurophysiological techniques including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as well as electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and have applied these techniques largely to investigate the pathophysiology of Autism and related developmental disorders. 

Following an NRSA-supported postdoctoral fellowship in the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School, I continued as an Instructor in the Neurology Department of Harvard Medical School working both at BIDMC and Boston Children’s Hospital. During this time I received international attention for pioneering the use of TMS in pediatric neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders and my work characterizing the physiological mechanisms underlying the behavioral impairments associated with developmental disorders.  In 2013 I became the Director of the Neuroplasticity and Autism Spectrum Disorder Program at Bradley Hospital and an Assistant Professor (Research) at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University.

 As of September 2017 I have relocated to Maryland and am now serving as the Clinical Program Leader for the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine with a faculty appointment in the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology at the Uniformed Services University (USU).  I am also a “Special Volunteer” in the Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health where I am developing TMS protocols for Pediatric Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders within the Division of Intramural Research Programs (IRP). Over the past 16 years working in this field, I have gained an appreciation for the complexity of the pathophysiology of behaviorally defined disorders. Thus, I have recently shifted my focus to identifying and modifying neural circuits associated with more specific behavioral domains (such as irritability, sensory processing, social cognition, language processing, executive functioning/cognitive control) in a more “RDOC-like” strategy in order to better target the symptoms that affect the quality of life of the individuals with neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder.