Research Themes

Schizophrenia is a devastating illness that has tremendous personal and societal costs. Even when symptoms of psychosis have remitted, many people with schizophrenia suffer marked functional disability (i.e., impaired social, occupational, and community functioning). Understanding the contributors to functional disability in schizophrenia is paramount for development of effective, recovery-based interventions. The overarching aim of our research is to use a multimethod approach to identify and understand predictors of functional outcome in schizophrenia-spectrum conditions within a lifespan developmental framework. To date, most of our work has focused on perceptual processing, social and non-social cognition, and motivation/beliefs. 

Dr. McCleery’s research has been supported by extramural funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, Alkermes, and the American Psychological Foundation. 

Research Methods

In our work, we use multiple methods to study the phenomena of interest. Our lab is equipped with a resource library and materials for administering clinical interviews and symptom rating scales, and performance-based tests of social and non-social cognition. We use a BioSemi ActiveTwo 64 channel system for EEG/ERP data acquisition, a BIOPAC MP36 system to measure ECG, respiration rate, and skin conductance, and a SR Research Eyelink 1000 for eye tracking/pupillometry. Professional-grade headset microphones and audio recording equipment are available to collect speech sample data. Our lab suite is located in 455 A-D PBSB, and includes dedicated rooms for data collection (e.g., interviews, testing, EEG/eye tracking) and office space for trainees.  

Current studies

• Hawkeye ReConnect Research Registry https://reconnect.psychology.uiowa.edu 
• PIER Program longitudinal study https://pier.uiowa.edu
• Resilience in college students https://mccleery.lab.uiowa.edu/participate-research
• EEG and pupillary indicators of change detection https://mccleery.lab.uiowa.edu/participate-research
• Cortical plasticity across phases of illness in schizophrenia (NIH K23 MH108829)
• Impact of aripiprazole medication adherence on learning and neuroplasticity in recent-onset schizophrenia (Alkermes Pathways Research Award)

Publications

An up-to-date list of our publications can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/McCleery-Google-Scholar and here: https://tinyurl.com/McCleery-PubMed

• McCleery, A., Wynn, J. K., Novacek, D., Reavis, E. A., Tsai, J., & Green, M. F. (2021). Socioeconomic challenges during the COVID‐19 pandemic for Veterans with psychosis or recent homelessness. Health & social care in the community. PMID: 34806259. DOI: 10.1111/hsc.13655
• Wynn, J.K., McCleery, A., Novacek, D., Reavis, E.A., Tsai, J., & Green, M.F. (2021). Clinical and functional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing on vulnerable Veterans with psychosis or recent homelessness. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 138, 42-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.03.051 (PMCID in progress). 
• McCleery, A., Wynn, J.K., Lee, J., Reavis, E.A., Ventura, J., Subotnik, K.L., Green, M.F., & Nuechterlein, K.H. (2020). Early visual processing is associated with social cognitive performance in recent-onset schizophrenia. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11:823. PMCID: PMC7478198.
• McCleery, A., Mathalon, D.H., Wynn, J.K., Roach, B.J., Hellemann, G.S., Marder, S.R., & Green, M.F. (2019). Parsing components of auditory predictive coding in schizophrenia using a roving standard mismatch negativity paradigm. Psychological Medicine, 49, 1195-1206. PMCID: PMC6499668.
• McCleery, A., & Nuechterlein, K.H. (2019). Cognitive impairment in psychotic illness: Prevalence, profile of impairment, developmental course, and treatment considerations. Dialogues in Clinical Neurosciences, 21, 239-248. PMCID: PMC6829172.
• Wynn, J.K., Roach, B.J., McCleery, A., Marder, S.R., Mathalon, D.H., & Green, M.F. (2019). Evaluating visual neuroplasticity with EEG in schizophrenia outpatients. Schizophrenia Research, 212, 40-46. PMCID: PMC6791734.
• McCleery, A., Wynn, J.K., Mathalon, D.H., Roach, B.J., & Green, M.F. (2018). Hallucinations, neuroplasticity, and prediction errors in schizophrenia. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 59, 41-48. PMCID: PMC5969574.
• Martin, E.A., McCleery, A., Moore, M.M., Wynn, J.K., Green, M.F., & Horan, W.P. (2018). ERP indices of performance monitoring and feedback processing in psychosis: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 132, 365-378. PMCID: PMC6157731.   
• Green, M.F., Horan, W.P., Lee, J., McCleery, A., Reddy, L.F., Wynn, J.K. (2017). At issue: Social disconnection in schizophrenia and the general community. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 44, 242-249. PMCID: PMC581840.
• McCleery, A., Lee, J., Fiske, A.P., Ghermezi, L., Hayata, J.N., Hellemann, G.S., Horan, W.P., Kee-Rose, K.S., Kern, R.S., Knowlton, B.J., Subotnik, K.L., Ventura, J., Sugar, C., Nuechterlein, K.H., Green, M.F. (2016). Longitudinal stability of social cognition in schizophrenia: A 5-year follow-up for social perception and emotion processing. Schizophrenia Research, 176, 467-472. PMCID: PMC5026923.
• Shakeel, M., Docherty, N.M., Rich, P., Zaragoza, M., Chrobak, Q., & McCleery, A. (2016). Analyzing confabulations in schizophrenia and healthy participants. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 22, 911-919. PMID: 27655250.
• McCleery, A., Lee, J., Joshi, A., Wynn, J., Hellemann, G.S., & Green, M.F. (2015). Meta-analysis of face processing event-related potentials in schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry, 77, 116-126. PMID: 24923618.
• Docherty, N.M., Dinzeo, T., McCleery, A., Bell, E., Shakeel, M., & Moe, A. (2015). “Internal” versus “external” auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia: Symptom and course correlates. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 20,187-197. PMCID: PMC4372463.
• McCleery, A., Green, M.F., Hellemann, G.S., Baade, L.E., Gold, J.M., Keefe, R.S., Kern, R., Mesholam-Gately, R., Seidman, L.J., Subotnik, K., Ventura, J., & Nuechterlein, K.H. (2015). Latent structure of cognition in schizophrenia: A confirmatory factor analysis of the MATRICS consensus cognitive battery (MCCB). Psychological Medicine, 45, 2657-2666. PMCID: PMC4523424.
• Jahshan, C., Wynn, J., McCleery, A., & Green, M.F. (2014). Cross-diagnostic comparison of visual processing in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 51, 42-48. PMCID: PMC4519235.
• McCleery, A., Ventura, J., Kern, R.S., Subotnik, K.L., Gretchen-Doorly, D., Green, M.F., Hellemann, G.S., & Nuechterlein, K.H. (2014). Cognitive functioning in recent-onset schizophrenia: MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) profile of impairment. Schizophrenia Research, 157, 33-39. PMCID: PMC4112962.
• Dombrowski, M., McCleery, A., Docherty, N.M., & Gregory, S. (2014). Stress reactivity of verbal and emotional speech content in schizophrenia. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 202, 608-612. PMID: 25010108.
• Docherty, N.M., McCleery, A., Divilbiss, M., Bell, E., Moe, A., & Shakeel, M.K. (2013). Effects of Social Cognitive Impairment on Speech Disorder in Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 39, 608-616. PMCID: PMC3627757.
• McCleery, A., Divilbiss, M., St-Hilaire, A., Aakre, J., Seghers, J., Bell, E., & Docherty, N.M. (2012). Predicting social functioning in schizotypy: An investigation of the relative contributions of theory of mind and mood. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 200, 147-152. PMCID: PMC4431998.
• Divilbiss, M., McCleery, A., Aakre, J.M., Seghers, J.P., Schumann, E.B., & Docherty, N.M. (2011). Reality monitoring and its association with social functioning in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research, 183, 1-4. PMCID: PMC3010355.
• Seghers, J.P., McCleery, A., & Docherty, N.M. Schizotypy, alexithymia, and socio-emotional outcomes. (2011). Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199, 117-121. PMCID: PMC4445718.
• Docherty, N.M., St-Hilaire, A., Aakre, J.M., Seghers, J.P., McCleery, A., & Divilbiss, M. (2011). Anxiety interacts with expressed emotion criticism in the prediction of psychotic symptom exacerbation. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 37, 611-618. PMCID: PMC3080683.
• Dowd, E.T., & McCleery, A. (2007). Elements of Buddhist philosophy in cognitive psychotherapy: The role of cultural specifics and universals. Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies, 8, 67-79.
• McCleery, A., Addington, J., & Addington, D. (2007). Family assessment in early psychosis. Psychiatry Research, 152, 95-102. PMID: 17449111.
• McCleery, A., Addington, J., & Addington, D. Substance misuse and cognitive functioning in early psychosis: A two-year follow-up. (2006). Schizophrenia Research, 88, 187-191. PMID: 16942863.
• Addington, J., McCleery, A., Collins, A., & Addington, D. (2006). Family work in early psychosis. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 17, 137-154.
• Addington, J., McCleery, A., & Addington, D. (2005). Three-year outcome of family work in an early psychosis program. Schizophrenia Research, 79, 107-116. PMID: 15907375.
• Addington, J., Collins, A., McCleery, A., & Addington, D. (2005). The role of family work in early psychosis. Schizophrenia Research, 79, 77-83. PMID: 16198240.