Dr Megan Klabunde

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Email
m.klabunde@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 873733
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Location
3.719, Colchester Campus
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Academic support hours
Email to schedule an appointment.
Profile
Biography
Dr Klabunde studies how our brain processes and perceives information from within our bodies. This focus on internal body sensations is what psychology and neuroscience call interoception. Dr Klabunde specifically examines how children and young people process internal body information and how their brain development changes these processes over time. Additionally, the factors that influence interoceptive development, such as environmental and genetic interactions are also studied. Dr Klabunde also looks at how genetics, one's sex, stress/trauma and relationships influence interoception. How we perceive information from our bodies also has profound effects on how we process our emotions, empathise, and connect with one another. It also significantly influences our mental and physical health. Technically, as a neuroscientist, clinical and health psychologist, Dr Klabunde uses advanced research methods such as multi-modal neuroimaging, psychophysiology and neurobehavioral assessments to focus on typical and atypical childhood neurodevelopment. Her work implements state of the art acquisition tools and analyses in order to study the developing structure and function of the brain. She primarily relies upon functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for brain imaging acquisition. To analyse brain imaging data, she uses advanced procedures such as functional, physiological, effective and multivariate connectivity analyses, and machine learning tools. As a dually registered health psychologist and clinical psychologist by the HCPC and her prior post as an attending (consultant) psychologist at Stanford University, Dr Klabunde is an international expert in working with children and young people impacted by various psychiatric, neurogenetic and medical disorders that are associated with interoceptive deficits. She relies upon the deep knowledge gained by successfully treating with hundreds of children and young people to design research studies and translate the new knowledge gained from these studies to improve the sense of embodiment in children/young people and their relationships with one another.
Qualifications
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PhD Psychology Alliant International Unviersity, (2011)
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Post-Doctoral Research Scholar- Applied Developmental Neuroscience Stanford University School of Medicine, (2016)
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NIMH T32 Post-Doctoral Fellow Stanford University School of Medicine, (2012)
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Health Psychologist PYL37986 Health and Care Professions Council,
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Clinical Psychologist PYL37986 Health Care Professions Council,
Appointments
糖心Vlog
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Lecturer, 糖心Vlog (3/1/2019 - present)
Other academic
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Lecturer, 糖心Vlog (1/1/2019 - present)
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Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine (1/2/2018 - 31/12/2018)
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Instructor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine (1/4/2016 - 1/2/2018)
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NIMH T32 Post-Doctoral Scholar in Developmental Neuroscience, Stanford University School of Medicine (1/9/2012 - 31/3/2016)
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Paediatric (Child Health) Psychology Post-Doctoral Fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine (1/8/2011 - 31/8/2012)
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American Psychological Association Internship in Child and Adolescent Psychology, Children's Hospital Colorado (1/6/2010 - 1/6/2011)
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Child and Adolescent Psychology Internship, Rady Children's Hospital (1/8/2009 - 31/5/2010)
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Professional Research Associate, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (1/8/2007 - 31/5/2010)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Interoception
fMRI
Adolescence
Interoceptive Development
Interoception and its links to Mental Health Development during Adolescence
Interoception and Somatic Symptoms in Children
Interoception and Exercise in Adolescent Girls
In collaboration with SRES examine interoception in adolescent girls and their tendency to engage in physical exercise.
Interoception and Anxiety
Examining multidimensions of interoception and adult and child anxiety
Trauma and Interoception Research in Children and Adolescents
Examine how trauma impacts interoception leading to health and mental problems in children and adults
Interoception and Sexual Functioning
Examine how interoception impacts sexual arousal and orgasm satisfaction and frequency
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Applied Psychology (PS118)
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Developmental Psychology (PS406)
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Psychopathology (PS504)
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Advanced Developmental Psychology (PS931)
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Theory and Methods in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology (PS949)
Publications
Journal articles (22)
Datta, N., Hughes, A., Modafferi, M. and KLABUNDE, M., (2025). . NeuroImage. 305, 120933-120933
Poerio, G., Klabunde, M., Geoff, B. and Murphy, J., (2024). . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 379 (1908), 20230256-
Ireton, R., Hughes, A. and Klabunde, M., (2024). . Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. 9 (6), 561-570
Dixon, E., Poerio, G., Rieger, G. and KLABUNDE, M., (2024). . Brain Sciences. 14 (12), 1236-1236
Jordan, T., Klabunde, M., Green, T., Hong, D., Ross, J., Jo, B. and Reiss, A., (2023). . Hormones and Behaviour. 149, 105300-105300
Klabunde, M., Piccirilli, A., Bruno, J., Gendron, M. and Reiss, AL., (2022). . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 52 (5), 2203-2212
Green, T., Flash, S., Shakar, G., Bade Shrestha, S., Booil, J., Klabunde, M., Hong, D. and Reiss, A., (2022). . Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 64 (3), 331-339
Baker, JM., Klabunde, M., Jo, B., Green, T. and Reiss, AL., (2020). . Journal of Psychiatric Research. 121, 135-142
Klabunde, M., Juszczak, H., Jordan, T., Baker, J., Bruno, J., Carrion, V. and Reiss, A., (2019). . Scientific Reports. 9 (1), 16184-
Khalsa, SS., Adolphs, R., Cameron, OG., Critchley, HD., Davenport, PW., Feinstein, JS., Feusner, JD., Garfinkel, SN., Lane, RD., Mehling, WE., Meuret, AE., Nemeroff, CB., Oppenheimer, S., Petzschner, FH., Pollatos, O., Rhudy, JL., Schramm, LP., Simmons, WK., Stein, MB., Stephan, KE., Van den Bergh, O., Van Diest, I., von Leupoldt, A., Paulus, MP., Ainley, V., Al Zoubi, O., Aupperle, R., Avery, J., Baxter, L., Benke, C., Berner, L., Bodurka, J., Breese, E., Brown, T., Burrows, K., Cha, Y-H., Clausen, A., Cosgrove, K., Deville, D., Duncan, L., Duquette, P., Ekhtiari, H., Fine, T., Ford, B., Garcia Cordero, I., Gleghorn, D., Guereca, Y., Harrison, NA., Hassanpour, M., Hechler, T., Heller, A., Hellman, N., Herbert, B., Jarrahi, B., Kerr, K., Kirlic, N., Klabunde, M., Kraynak, T., Kriegsman, M., Kroll, J., Kuplicki, R., Lapidus, R., Le, T., Hagen, KL., Mayeli, A., Morris, A., Naqvi, N., Oldroyd, K., Pan茅-Farr茅, C., Phillips, R., Poppa, T., Potter, W., Puhl, M., Safron, A., Sala, M., Savitz, J., Saxon, H., Schoenhals, W., Stanwell-Smith, C., Teed, A., Terasawa, Y., Thompson, K., Toups, M., Umeda, S., Upshaw, V., Victor, T., Wierenga, C., Wohlrab, C., Yeh, H-W., Yoris, A., Zeidan, F., Zotev, V. and Zucker, N., (2018). . Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging. 3 (6), 501-513
Klabunde, M., Collado, D. and Bohon, C., (2017). . Journal of Psychiatric Research. 94, 36-46
Klabunde, M., Weems, CF., Raman, M. and Carrion, VG., (2017). . Depression and Anxiety. 34 (1), 51-58
de Morree, A., Collman, F., Gordon, C. and Klabunde, M., (2017). . Nature. 549 (7673), 555-555
Klabunde, M., Saggar, M., Hustyi, KM., Kelley, RG., Reiss, AL. and Hall, SS., (2015). . Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. 233 (3), 373-379
Klabunde, M., Saggar, M., Hustyi, KM., Hammond, JL., Reiss, AL. and Hall, SS., (2015). . Human Brain Mapping. 36 (10), 4135-4143
Weems, CF., Klabunde, M., Russell, JD., Reiss, AL. and Carri贸n, VG., (2015). . Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 10 (12), 1661-1667
Dold, M., Aigner, M., Klabunde, M., Treasure, J. and Kasper, S., (2015). . Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 84 (2), 110-116
Darcy, AM., Fitzpatrick, KK., Manasse, SM., Datta, N., Klabunde, M., Colborn, D., Aspen, V., Stiles-Shields, C., Labuschagne, Z., Le Grange, D. and Lock, J., (2015). . International Journal of Eating Disorders. 48 (5), 487-493
Klabunde, M., Acheson, DT., Boutelle, KN., Matthews, SC. and Kaye, WH., (2013). . Eating Behaviors. 14 (4), 488-492
Strigo, IA., Matthews, SC., Simmons, AN., Oberndorfer, T., Klabunde, M., Reinhardt, LE. and Kaye, WH., (2013). . International Journal of Eating Disorders. 46 (1), 23-33
Powers, PS., Klabunde, M. and Kaye, W., (2012). . European Eating Disorders Review. 20 (4), 331-334
Duvvuri, V., Cromley, T., Klabunde, M., Boutelle, K. and Kaye, WH., (2012). . International Journal of Eating Disorders. 45 (2), 294-297
Book chapters (1)
(2013). A Collaborative Approach to Eating Disorders. In: A Collaborative Approach to Eating Disorders. Editors: Alexander, J. and Treasure, J., . Routledge. 35- 51
Conferences (2)
Carrion, VG., Klabunde, M., Weems, CF., Ramen, M. and Reiss, AL., (2014). Insula Measures and Emotional Cognitive Interplay in Youth with Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms: Does Gender Matter?
Oberndorfer, TA., Frank, GK., Simmons, A., Klabunde, M., Paulus, MR. and Kaye, WH., (2008). Increased insula response to sucrose stimulation in recovered bulimic women
Contact
Academic support hours:
Email to schedule an appointment.