Professor of Psychiatry, Medical School and Research Professor, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research
Biography
David M. Fresco is Professor of Psychiatry and Faculty Affiliate at the Institute for Social Research (ISR). His program of research adopts an affective neuroscience perspective to conduct basic, translational, and treatment studies of anxiety and mood disorders, particularly distress disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder) incorporating methodologies including functional neuroimaging (fMRI & EEG), peripheral psychophysiology, and serum markers (e.g., inflammation, neurodegeneration).
Another facet of Dr. Fresco’s research has focused on the development of treatments informed by affective and contemplative neuroscience findings that incorporate mindfulness meditation and other practices derived from Buddhist mental training exercises.
Increasingly, with collaborators at ISR, Dr. Fresco has initiated clinical trials for treatment optimization and implementation utilizing adaptive intervention methodology (e.g., sequential multiple assignment randomized trials [SMART] & just-in-time adaptive interventions [JITAIs])
Much of his current and recent NIH-funded research has focused on examining neurobehavioral mechanisms and efficacy of mindfulness-enriched treatments for chronic illnesses, and the role of emotion regulation strategies in everyday life to reduce distress.
Funded Research
Publications
- Amy F. Sato, Caroline E. West, David Marc Fresco, Shirley M. Moore, Elissa elalian. 2024. Development of a mindfulness-based pediatric weight management intervention for adolescents: findings from a pilot trial adapted for telehealth delivery. Children's Health Care
- Hu, Xin, Sgherza, Tanika R., Nothrup, Jessie B., David Marc Fresco, Naragon-Gainey, Kristin, Bylsma, Lauren M.. 2024. From lab to life: Evaluating the reliability and validity of psychophysiological data from wearable devices in laboratory and ambulatory settings. Behavior Research Methods
- Lilia T. Popova, Rebhi O. Abuzaitoun, David Marc Fresco, Maria Fernanda Abalem, Chris A. Andrews, David C. Musch, Josh Ehrlich, K. Thiran Jayasundera. 2023. Positive feedback loop between vision-related anxiety and self-reported visual difficulty. Ophthalmic Genetics 44(4):327-333.
- Kalmbach, David A., Cheng, Philip, Reffi, Anthony N., Ong, Jason C., Swanson, Leslie M., David Marc Fresco, Walch, Olivia, Seymour, Grace M., Fellman-Couture, Cynthia, Bayoneto, Alec D., Roth, Thomas, Drake, Christopher L.. 2023. Perinatal Understanding of Mindful Awareness for Sleep (PUMAS): A single-arm proof-of-concept clinical trial of a mindfulness-based intervention for DSM-5 insomnia disorder during pregnancy. Sleep Medicine 108:79-89.
- Renna, Megan E., Spaeth, Phillip E., Quintero, Jean M., O'Toole, Mia S., Sandman, Christina F., David Marc Fresco, Mennin, Douglas S.. 2023. A randomized controlled trial comparing two doses of emotion regulation therapy: Preliminary evidence that gains in attentional and metacognitive regulation reduce worry, rumination, and distress. Behaviour Research and Therapy 170:104420.
- Michal Clayton, Megan Renna, Leah Weingast, Aliza Panjwani, Phillip Spaeth, Richard Heimberg, David Marc Fresco, Douglas Mennin. 2023. The Impact of Emotion Regulation Improvements on Intolerance of Uncertainty During Emotion Regulation Therapy. Journal of Emotion and Psychopathology 1(1):273-288.
- Gupta, Resh S., Kujawa, Autumn, David Marc Fresco, Kang, Hakmook, Vago, David R.. 2022. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: A Preliminary Examination of the (Event-Related) Potential for Modifying Threat-Related Attentional Bias in Anxiety. Mindfulness 13(7):1719-1732.
- Allison J. Applebaum, Morgan Loschiavo, Katherine Morgan, Douglas S. Mennin, David Marc Fresco, Michael A. Hoyt, Elizabeth Schofield, Mia S. O'Toole, Julia Cohn, Jamie M. Jacobs. 2022. A randomized controlled trial of emotion regulation therapy for cancer caregivers: A mechanism-targeted approach to addressing caregiver distress. Contemporary Clinical Trials 122:106923.
- K. Thiran Jayasundera, Rebhi O. Abuzaitoun, Lilia Popova, Maria Fernanda Abalem, Chris A. Andrews, Gabrielle D. Lacy, David Marc Fresco, David C. Musch. 2022. Construct Validity of Inherited Retinal Disease Specific Patient Reported Outcome Measures. American Journal of Ophthalmology 248:116-126.
- Kalmbach, David A, Cheng, Philip, Roth, Andrea, Roth, Thomas, Swanson, Leslie M, Louise M O’Brien, David Marc Fresco, Harb, Nicholas C, Cuamatzi-Castelan, Andrea S, Reffi, Anthony N, Drake, Christopher L. 2022. Untitled. SLEEP Advances 3(1):zpac006.
- Moore, Michael T., Lau, Mark A., Haigh, Emily A. P., Willett, Brandilyn R., Bosma, Colin M., David Marc Fresco. 2022. Association between decentering and reductions in relapse/recurrence in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression in adults: A randomized controlled trial. 90(2):137-147.
- Jenny L. Wu, Jessica L. Hamilton, David Marc Fresco, Lauren B. Alloy, Jonathan P. Strange. 2022. Decentering predicts attenuated perseverative thought and internalizing symptoms following stress exposure: A multi-level, multi-wave study. Behaviour Research and Therapy 152:104017.
- Kalmbach, David A, Cheng, Philip, Roth, Andrea, Roth, Thomas, Swanson, Leslie M, O’Brien, Louise M, David Marc Fresco, Harb, Nicholas C, Cuamatzi-Castelan, Andrea S, Reffi, Anthony N, Drake, Christopher L. 2022. DSM-5 insomnia disorder in pregnancy: associations with depression, suicidal ideation, and cognitive and somatic arousal, and identifying clinical cutoffs for detection. SLEEP Advances 3(1)
- Michal Clayton, Phillip E Spaeth, Megan E Renna, David Marc Fresco, Douglas S Mennin. 2021. Optimizing cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce the burden of distress disorders within an emotion regulation framework. New Directions in Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy :79-98.
- Chin, Gabrielle R., Greeson, Jeffrey M., Hughes, Joel W., David Marc Fresco. 2021. Does Dispositional Mindfulness Predict Cardiovascular Reactivity to Emotional Stress in Prehypertension? Latent Growth Curve Analyses from the Serenity Study. Mindfulness 12:2624-2634.
- Wierenga, Kelly L., David Marc Fresco, Alder, Megan, Sattar, Abdus, Moore, Shirley M.. 2021. Preliminary Efficacy of an Emotion Regulation Intervention on Physical Activity and Depressive and Anxious Symptoms in Individuals in Cardiac Rehabilitation. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing 37(3):296-305.
- Jean M. Quintero, Elena W. Mayville, Richard G. Heimberg, David Marc Fresco, Douglas S. Mennina. 2021. Implicit Approach and Avoidance Motivational Changes in GAD Patients Treated with Emotion Regulation Therapy. Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy
- Fernando C Krause, Eftihia Linardatos, David Marc Fresco, Michael T Moore. 2021. Facial emotion recognition in major depressive disorder: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Affective Disorders 293:320-328.
- Mia S O’Toole, Douglas. S. Mennin, Allison J. Applebaum, David Marc Fresco, Robert Zachariae. 2021. Moderators and mediators of emotion regulation therapy for psychologically distressed caregivers of cancer patients: secondary analyses from a randomized controlled trial. Acta Oncologica 60(8):992-999.
- Mai B. Mikkelsen, Emma Elkjær, Douglas S. Mennin, David Marc Fresco, Robert Zachariae, Allison Applebaum, Mia S O’Toole. 2021. The impact of emotion regulation therapy on emotion differentiation in psychologically distressed caregivers of cancer patients. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping 34(4):479-485.
- Megan E Renna, Mia S O’Toole, David Marc Fresco, Richard G Heimberg, Douglas S Mennin. 2021. From psychological to physical health: Exploring temporal precedence throughout emotion regulation therapy. Journal of Anxiety Disorders 80:102403.
- Kelly L. Wierenga, David Marc Fresco, Megan Alder, Shirley M. Moore. 2021. Feasibility of an Emotion Regulation Intervention for Patients in Cardiac Rehabilitation. Western Journal of Nursing Research 43(4):338-346.
- Chin, Gabrielle R., Greeson, Jeffrey M., Hughes, Joel W., David Marc Fresco. 2021. Does Dispositional Mindfulness Predict Cardiovascular Reactivity to Emotional Stress in Prehypertension? Latent Growth Curve Analyses from the Serenity Study. Mindfulness 12(11):2624-2634.