Early Life Stress, Neurodevelopment, and Depression in Adolescents

This special seminar will be given by Dr. Ian H. Gotlib,  Marjorie Mhoon Fair Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology (SNAP) Laboratory at Stanford University, and is entitled, “Early Life Stress, Neurodevelopment, and Depression in Adolescents.”

Biography

Dr. Ian H. Gotlib is the Marjorie Mhoon Fair Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology (SNAP) Laboratory at Stanford University. In his research, Dr. Gotlib examines psychobiological factors that place children, adolescents, and adults at risk for developing depression and engaging in suicidal behaviors, as well as processes that are protective in this context. He examines neural, cognitive, social, endocrinological, and genetic factors in depressed individuals and applies findings from these investigations to the study of predictors of depression in children at risk for this disorder. Dr. Gotlib is also examining the differential effects of early life stress on trajectories of neurodevelopment in boys and girls through puberty in order to explain the increased prevalence of depression and suicidal behaviors in girls in adolescence. Finally, Dr. Gotlib is extending this work to the study of brain function and structure, endocrine function, and behaviors in neonates and infants being raised in suboptimal environments. Dr. Gotlib’sresearch is supported largely by grants from the National Institutes of Health. He has received the Joseph Zubin Award for lifetime research contributions to the understanding of psychopathology, the APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contribution, the APS Distinguished Scientist Award, and a MERIT award from NIMH.