Division of Clinical Developmental Neuroscience

The general aim of this division is to foster a collaborative research program focusing on the effects of the environment on fetal, infant and early childhood brain/behavior development. Building on funding from multiple NIH Institutes (NICHD, NIMH, NIAAA, NIDCD) the Sackler Institute supports our investigations research into the effects of pre- and postnatal risk factors including maternal stress, depression, nicotine, alcohol, low SES and poor nutrition on brain/behavior development. We continue to investigate the roots of adverse outcomes by focusing on interactions of moderately premature delivery with the home environment including specific deficits associated with SES status and the potential positive influences of multilingualism on attention, memory and cognitive development and how these may interact with successful parent infant interventions. Collaborative efforts within the division also will follow these infants into later infancy and early childhood using a wide range of neurobehavioral assessments applying a range of brain imaging techniques in toddlers and young children. Our mission also is closely aligned with the Sackler Parent Infant Project and the effort to establish a scientific body of evidence regarding brain mechanisms involved in therapeutic interventions.