
Integrated Member
Social Cognitive and Applied Neuroscience Team
My research lies at the intersection of psychology and cognitive neuroscience, with a focus on the etiopathogenesis and treatment of addiction. I integrate contemporary theoretical frameworks, advanced statistical modeling, and multimodal neuroimaging methods—including electroencephalography (EEG), with event-related potentials (ERPs), and voxel-based whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and functional connectivity analyses—to investigate core neurobehavioral traits such as incentive salience, reward processing, cognitive control, and stress physiology that contribute to the pathophysiology of addiction. Adopting a translational perspective, my work seeks to elucidate the mechanisms underlying individual differences in vulnerability to addiction and to inform the development of more effective prevention and intervention strategies. More broadly, my research program addresses three fundamental questions in addiction science: (1) Why do some individuals develop addiction while others do not? (2) What are the effects of alcohol and drugs on the brain? and (3) Why is it so difficult to change addictive behaviors and sustain recovery?
Main 5 publications
Freeman, C., Radoman, M., Martins, J. S., Lacadie, C., Seo, D., & Sinha, R. (2026). Sex-specific neural activation to stress and alcohol cues in high-risk drinkers: links between orbitofrontal circuits, alcohol craving, and future drinking. Neuropsychopharmacology, 1-9. doi: 10.1038/s41386-026-02379-1
Martins, J. S., Fogelman, N., Wemm, S., Hwang, S. & Sinha, R. (2022). Alcohol craving and withdrawal at treatment entry prospectively predict alcohol use outcomes during outpatient treatment. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 231, e109253. doi: 109253-109253
Martins, J. S., Joyner, K. J., McCarthy, D. M., Morris, D. H., Patrick, C. J., & Bartholow, B.D. (2021). Differential brain responses to alcohol-related and natural rewards is associated with alcohol use and problems: Evidence for reward dysregulation. Addiction Biology, 27(2), e131118. doi: 10.1111/adb.13118
Martins, J. S., Bartholow, B. D, Cooper, M. L., Irving, K. M., & Piasecki, T.M. (2019). Interactive effects of naturalistic drinking context and alcohol sensitivity on neural alcohol cue- reactivity responses. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, 43, 1777-1789. doi: 10.1111/acer.14134
Martins, J. S., Bartholow, B. D, Cooper, M. L., Von Gunten, C., & Wood, P. K. (2018). Associations between executive functioning, Affect-regulation drinking motives, and alcohol use and problems. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 32, 16-18. doi: 10.1037/adb0000324
Contacts
E-mail: jorgesmartins@ispa.pt
CiênciaVitae: https://www.cienciavitae.pt/portal/en/0C1F-8C7C-77DD
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1776-8855
Personal Website: www.jorgesmartins.com
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jorge-S-Martins
