Boston University · PsychologyOtto Lab
Michael W. Otto · Boston, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Michael W. Otto's lab at Boston University focuses on understanding how anxiety disorders respond to exposure-based therapy—a common treatment method. The lab is investigating the potential of measuring carbon dioxide reactivity as a biomarker to predict whether patients will benefit from this therapy. This research aims to improve treatment selection for patients suffering from anxiety-related disorders and enhance the overall effectiveness of mental health interventions.
exposure-based therapyanxiety disordersbiomarkersfear extinctionCO2 reactivityneurobiologymental healthpersonalized medicineclinical assessmentpublic health
Research Aims
5AIM 01Evaluate CO2 reactivity as a biomarker for therapy response in anxiety disorders.
AIM 02Investigate the relationship between CO2 reactivity and fear extinction mechanisms.
AIM 03Develop models to predict treatment non-response based on biomarkers.
AIM 04Test the effectiveness of an accessible clinical assessment strategy for therapists.
AIM 05Enhance understanding of mental health treatment personalization.
Skills the Lab Values
clinical assessmentsstudy designdata modelingbiological assaysstatistical analysispsychological testingpatient recruitmentmultivariate analysisbasic neuroscienceintervention strategies
Output against the department
Publications828top 2% of dept.6th of 296
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations41ktop 5% of dept.15th 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.