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Olivia Harrison imageEmail olivia.harrison@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 8818

My research focuses on mental health and its relationship to interoception (how we perceive our body).

I use neuroimaging and computational models to better understand how the brain perceives and learns about changes in the body, with a particular focus on breathing. My work also aims to understand how currently available treatments such as anxiolytics and exercise can improve conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Publications

Kwon, M., Bo, K., Botvinik-Nezer, R., Kragel, P. A., Van Oudenhove, L., Wager, T. D., The Affective Neuroimaging Consortium, including Harrison, O. K. (2026). Convergent and selective representations of pain, appetitive processes, aversive processes, and cognitive control in the insula. Nature Communications, 17, 5186. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-71568-9 Journal - Research Article

Kemp, A. M., Pattinson, K. T. S., Glue, P., Russell, B. R., & Harrison, O. K. (2026). Sex-specific differences in amygdala resting-state functional connectivity with trait anxiety. Neuropsychology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/neu0001100 Journal - Research Article

McLeod, E., Gorman, F., Russell, B. R., Chin, P., & Harrison, O. K. (2026). Estimating interoceptive sensitivity from physiological breathing parameters. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 56, e70050. doi: 10.1002/snz2.70050 Journal - Research Article

Harrison, O. K., Tosala, K., Jones, C. A. D., Kennedy, R., Nia, A. F., Maso Talou, G. D., Dawson, C., Sellbom, M., Willing, E., McLeod, E., … Clifford, A. (2026). Using automated psychological tools for understanding and improving mental health outcomes in Aotearoa. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 56(2), e70032. doi: 10.1002/snz2.70032 Journal - Research Article

Cawood, T., Harrison, O. K., McIlwain, M., Kydd, R. R., & Russell, B. R. (2026). Altered brain tissue volumes with valproate treatment for schizophrenia. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 56, 70034. doi: 10.1002/snz2.70034 Journal - Research Article

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