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Understanding executive functioning has become a research goal and a passion for me. In a broad scope, the elusive nature of this construct intrigues me, thus I have found myself emerged in the study of human behavior and cognitive processing that is "executive" in nature.

Most of my current research is conducted at CORTEX, where we are: (1) developing a theoretical and evidence-based model of executive functioning that we call INTERACT; (2) developing ecological, psychometric and cross-culturally valid instruments to assess executive functioning; (3) exploring the associations between exercise, concussion history and executive functions; and (4) a line of new community-engaged research examining the intersections between brain injury, mental health and addictions. I serve as an Associate Editor in the APA journal Psychological Assessment.

Interests

• Clinical Neuropsychology

• Executive Functioning

• Sports Concussions

Recent Publications

• NOTE: Underlined are the names of students leading or contributing to the publications

VanderZwaag B, Garcia-Romeu A, Garcia-Barrera MA. (2024). Exploring psychedelic use in athletes and their attitudes toward psilocybin-assisted therapy in concussion recovery. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 14, 1-15. doi:

Grewal, J., Kennedy C. J., Mamman, R., Biagioni, J. B., Garcia-Barrera, M. A., & Schmidt, J. (2024). Understanding the barriers and facilitators of healthcare services for brain injury and concurrent mental health and substance use issues: A qualitative study. BMC Health Services Research, 24 (881), 1-11. 

Sanchez-Escudero, J. P., Galvis-Herrera, A. M., Sánchez-Trujillo, D., Torres-López, L., Aguirre-Acevedo, D. C., Garcia-Barrera, M. A., & Trujillo-Orrego, N. (2024). Virtual Reality and Serious Videogames-Based Instruments for Assessing Spatial Navigation in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties. Neuropsychology Review.

Ames, M. E., Robillard, C., Turner, B. J., Garcia-Barrera, M., Rush, J., & Craig, S. G. (2024). Associations between physical activity, affect regulation difficulties, and mental health among Canadian adolescents at two different points of the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychology & Health, 39, 1042 -1058, DOI: 

Kennedy, C.J., Woodin, E., Schmidt, J., Biagioni, J.B. & Garcia-Barrera, M.A. (2024). Ten Priorities for Research Addressing the Intersections of Brain Injury, Mental Health and Addictions: A Stakeholder Driven Priority Setting Study Health Expectations, 27: e14136. 

Doucette, MM., Kwan, H., Premji, Z., Duchesne, A., Gawryluk, J., & Garcia-Barrera, MA. (2024). Integration of sex/gender and utilization of ecological Momentary assessment of cognition in clinical populations: A scoping review, The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 38:6, 1409-1440, DOI:

Garcia-Barrera, M. A., Contrears, A., Moreno-Llanos, I. (2023). Contribuciones de Alfredo Ardila a Nuestra Comprensión de la Función Ejecutiva. Revista Neuropsicología, Neuropsiquiatría y Neurociencias, 23 (1): 15-29

Halliday, DWR., Karr, JE., Shahnazian, D., Gordon, I., Sanchez Escudero, JP., MacDonald, SWS., Macoun, SJ., Hundza, SR., & Garcia-Barrera, MA. (2023). Electrophysiological Variability During Tests of Executive Functioning: A Comparison of Athletes with and without Concussion and Sedentary Control Participants. Applied Neuropsychology: Adult, 1-10. Advance Online Publication

Doucette, M.M., Rhodes, R.E., & Garcia-Barrera, M. A. (2023). Associations of physical activity and history of sports participation with subjective and objective measures of executive functioning in university students. Journal of American College Health, Advance Online publication. DOI:

Bonnieux, J., VanderZwaag, B., Premji, Z., Garcia-Romeu, A., Garcia-Barrera, M. (2023). Psilocybin’s effects on cognition and creativity: A scoping review. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 37(7): 635-648.

Agate, F. T., Gordon, I., Karr, J. E., & Garcia-Barrera, M. A. (2023). Sport expertise and physical exercise are associated with “hot” executive functioning: An electrophysiological examination of reward processing in collegiate athletes. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 45(2), 182-196.