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Jason D. Robinson, Ph.D.

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Assistant Professor, Department of Behavioral Science, Division of OVP, Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Bio Statement

Dr. Robinson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and a member of its Tobacco Research and Treatment Program. His research interests include identifying the neurobiological mechanisms underlying nicotine dependence and withdrawal and translating this knowledge to assist those wishing to quit smoking, particularly those resistant to treatment and prone to smoking, such as the chronically depressed. Dr. Robinson is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience as a psychophysiologist, and is proficient in the use of electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERP), impedance cardiography, skin conductance, and electromyography (EMG) methodology to study addiction in humans. He was recently awarded a NIDA K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (1K23DA024697-01; PI: Robinson), a grant designed to assist him to become an independent researcher with a focus on understanding how the attentional biases of smokers to drug and affective cues help to maintain neural sensitization to nicotine, using ERP techniques. He is currently co-investigator on a NIDA R01 grant titled “Pharmacogenetics, Emotional Reactivity and Smoking” (1R01DA017073, PI: Cinciripini), which is designed to assess the effects of the drugs varenicline and bupropion on changes in emotional reactivity during cessation, and to determine if these effects are moderated by genotype. This grant also uses EEG and acoustic startle eyeblink methodology to directly measure the affects of these drugs on the central nervous system. Dr. Robinson is also co-investigator on another NIDA R01 grant (3R01DA017073-02S1; PI: Cinciripini) that supplements the pharmacogenetics grant by allowing us to examine neurological adaptation to CNS structures not accessible by EEG techniques, such as the amygdala, anterior cingulate, and the prefrontal cortex.

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

2002 Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, PHD, Clinical Psychology

Postgraduate Training

1998-1999 Clinical Internship, Clinical Psychology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Robinson JD, Lam CY, Carter BL, Minnix JA, Cui Y, Versace F, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. A multimodal approach to assessing the impact of nicotine dependence, nicotine abstinence, and craving on negative affect in smokers. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. In Press.
2. Versace F, Minnix JA, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Brown VL, Cinciripini PM. Brain reactivity to emotional, neutral, and cigarette-related stimuli in smokers. Addict Biol. In Press.
3. Blalock JA, Minnix JA, Karam-Hage M, Gritz ER, Robinson JD, Cinciripini PM. The effect of mood, anxiety and alcohol use disorders on smoking cessation in cancer patients. J Cogn Psychother. In Press.
4. Minnix JA, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Carter BL, Foreman JE, Vandenbergh DJ, Tomlinson GE, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. The serotonin transporter gene and startle response during nicotine deprivation. Biol Psychol. In Press.
5. Carter BL, Paris MM, Lam CY, Robinson JD, Traylor AC, Waters AJ, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Real-time craving differences between black and white smokers. Am J Addict 19(2):136-140, 3/2010. PMID: 20163385.
6. Cinciripini PM, Blalock JA, Minnix JA, Robinson JD, Brown VL, Lam C, Wetter DW, Schreindorfer L, McCullough JP, Dolan-Mullen P, Stotts AL, Karam-Hage M. Effects of an intensive depression-focused intervention for smoking cessation in pregnancy. J Consult Clin Psychol 78(1):44-54, 2/2010. PMID: 20099949.
7. Versace F, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Minnix JA, Brown VL, Carter BL, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Cigarette cues capture smokers' attention: Evidence from event-related potentials. Psychophysiology 47(3):435-441, 2010. PMID: 20070579.
8. Waters AJ, Carter BL, Robinson JD, Wetter DW, Lam CY, Kerst W, Cinciripini PM. Attentional bias is associated with incentive-related physiological and subjective measures. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 17(4):247-257, 2009. PMID: 19653790.
9. Carter BL, Lam CY, Robinson JD, Paris MM, Waters AJ, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Generalized craving, self-report of arousal, and cue reactivity after brief abstinence. Nicotine Tob Res 11(7):823-6, 2009. PMID: 2699928.
10. Lam CY, Robinson JD, Carter BL, Wetter DW, Minnix JA, Cinciripini PM. Nicotine differentially inhibits the acoustic startle reflex in African American and Caucasian American smokers. Addict Behav 33(12):1521-8, 12/2008. e-Pub 7/2008. PMCID: PMC2612003.
11. Blalock JA, Robinson JD, Wetter DW, Schreindorfer LS, Cinciripini PM. Nicotine withdrawal in smokers with current depressive disorders undergoing intensive smoking cessation treatment. Psychol Addict Behav 22(1):122-128, 2008. PMID: 18298238.
12. Carter BL, Lam CY, Robinson JD, Paris MM, Waters AJ, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Real-time craving and mood assessments before and after smoking. Nicotine Tob Res 10(7):1165–1169, 2008. PMID: 18629726.
13. Robinson JD, Cinciripini PM, Carter BL, Lam CY, Wetter DW. Facial EMG as an index of affective response to nicotine. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 15(4):390-399, 2007. PMID: 17696686.
14. Robinson JD, Cinciripini PM, Tiffany ST, Carter BL, Lam CY, Wetter DW. Gender differences in affective response to acute nicotine administration and deprivation. Addict Behav 32(3):543-561, 2007. PMID: 16842931.
15. Waters AJ, Carter BL, Robinson JD, Wetter DW, Lam CY, Cinciripini PM. Implicit attitudes to smoking are associated with craving and dependence. Drug Alcohol Depend 91(2-3):178-186, 2007. PMID: 17658701.
16. Robinson JD, Lam CY, Minnix JA, Wetter DW, Tomlinson GE, Minna JD, Chen TT, Cinciripini PM. The DRD2 TaqI-B polymorphism and its relationship to smoking abstinence and withdrawal symptoms. Pharmacogenomics J 7(4):266-274, 2007. PMID: 17189962.
17. Lam CY, Minnix JA, Robinson JD, Cinciripini PM. A brief review of pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation. J Natl Compr Canc Netw 4(6):583-589, 2006. PMID: 16813725.
18. Carter BL, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Wetter DW, Tsan JY, Day SX, Cinciripini PM. A psychometric evaluation of cigarette stimuli used in a cue reactivity study. Nicotine Tob Res 8(3):361-369, 2006. PMID: 16801294.
19. Blalock JA, Robinson JD, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Relationship of DSM-IV-based depressive disorders to smoking cessation and smoking reduction in pregnant smokers. Am J Addict 15(4):268-277, Jul-Aug, 2006. PMID: 16867921.
20. Robinson JD, Cinciripini PM. The effects of stress and smoking on catecholaminergic and cardiovascular response. Behav Med 32(1):13-18, 2006. PMID: 16637258.
21. Cinciripini PM, Robinson JD, Carter BL, Lam C, Wu X, de Moor CA, Baile WF, Wetter DW. The effects of smoking deprivation and nicotine administration on emotional reactivity. Nicotine Tob Res 54(3):137, 2004. PMID: 16801296.
22. Robinson JD, Vrana SR. The time course of emotional and attentional modulation of the startle eyeblink reflex during imagery. Int J Psychophysiol 37(3):275-289, 2000. PMID: 10858573.

Abstracts
1. Versace F, Robinson JD, Minnix JA, Lam CY, Carter BL, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Startle Probe P3 amplitude when viewing cigarette cues. Psychophysiology 45(S1):s105, 2008.
2. Carter BL, Lam CY, Robinson JD, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Deprived smokers with low baseline positive affect show reduced startle responding following nicotine administration. Psychophysiology 42/Suppl 1:S42, 2005.
3. Robinson JD, Carter BL, Cinciripini PM, Long TY, Lam CY, Wetter DW, Sanders, CA, Benjamin RH. Relationship between expectancy for negative affect reduction and startle responding to nicotine. Psychophysiology 38/Suppl 1:S81, 2001.
4. Carter BL, Cinciripini PM, Long, TY, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Wetter DW, Sanders CA, Benjamin RH. Startle responses to emotional stimuli in abstaining smokers. Psychophysiology 38/Suppl 1:S32, 2001.

Last updated: 11/18/2010