Education

Dr. Shinkareva earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and completed postdoctoral training at Carnegie Mellon University.

Research

My research investigates how the brain represents and integrates emotion and conceptual knowledge in both healthy and clinical populations. Using neuroimaging, psychophysiological, behavioral, and computational modeling approaches, my lab explores how emotional signals are combined across senses, why some everyday sounds trigger strong emotional reactions, how emotional processing changes across the lifespan, and how abstract concepts are represented in the brain. Together, this work advances understanding of the neural, physiological, and cognitive mechanisms that shape human emotion, thought, and experience.

How does the brain represent and integrate emotional signals across senses?

My research examines how the brain perceives and combines affective information, such as pleasantness or unpleasantness (valence), from sound and vision. Understanding how emotional meaning is represented across sensory modalities helps explain how people experience and interpret complex, real-world environments. Our studies have identified robust patterns of affective representation across diverse stimuli, providing a foundation for applying these methods in naturalistic and translational research.

Why do some everyday sounds trigger strong emotional reactions?

Another line of my research focuses on misophonia, a condition in which certain sounds, such as chewing or breathing, evoke intense emotional and physiological responses. We study how the brain processes these “trigger” sounds and how sensory sensitivity relates to individual differences in emotional experience and brain connectivity. This work aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying misophonia and related forms of heightened sensory reactivity in autism and other conditions.

How does the brain process and integrate emotional experiences as we age?

Our ongoing project examines how the brain represents and combines emotional experiences, such as feelings of positivity and negativity, across different ages and between men and women. Using brain imaging, physiological recordings, and computational modeling, we investigate how people of various ages respond to emotionally rich, real-world stories. We also explore how artificial intelligence tools, such as large language models, can assist in analyzing emotional data more efficiently. This work advances understanding of how emotional processing evolves across the lifespan and helps refine methods for studying emotion in everyday life.

How does the brain represent conceptual knowledge?

Conceptual knowledge shapes how we think, reason, and communicate. My lab investigates how the brain represents individual and abstract concepts, as well as how concepts combine to form more complex ideas. This research informs theories of conceptual representation and supports translational efforts linking language, cognition, and neuroscience.

To learn more, visit the Affect and Cognition Lab page.

https://affectandcognition.wixsite.com/home

For an up-to-date list of publications, please see Dr. Shinkareva’s google scholar page.