Building a Brain: Human Fetal Neural Connectomics

New York University

Moriah Thomason, PhD, is the Barakett Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. She formerly served as Director of the Perinatal Neural Connectivity Unit within the intramural Perinatology Research Branch of NICHD/NIH. Her published research addresses principals of neural development beginning in utero.

While we possess rather detailed understanding of select micro- and macroscopic processes of normal human brain development, we know far less about how brain changes relate to behavioral changes over the course of life from the prenatal period to early adulthood. This lack of understanding is especially pronounced in the very early years of human life, when change is most rapid and vulnerability heightened. The primary objective of my research is to characterize fundamental properties of human brain macroscale neural system development and examine how early experiences, beginning in utero, influence lifelong learning and neurological health. We are testing models in which early psychosocial stress and concomitant chemical exposure influence development of neural systems, particularly those that support the establishment of cognitive control and regulatory processes in childhood. Rigorous evaluation of emergent self-regulatory processes and their neurological and biobehavioral bases has potential to inform educational strategies and lead to biologically-informed behavioral interventions for those with enhanced risk.

• Increase researcher and clinician knowledge about emergent MRI technologies for non-invasive examination of human brain network organization in fetal, neonatal, and early infancy periods
• Deliver an overview of major initiatives worldwide to map development of brain networks across the antenatal period, both in health and disease
• Demonstrate one important target area for antenatal MRI research by highlighting new discoveries about connectomics in the preterm brain

The Child Mind Institute Visiting Professor Lecture Series invites leaders in the field of child and adolescent mental health to talk about the latest research and treatment protocols. All events are open to the public. In partnership with Northwell Health, continuing medical education (CME) credits for psychiatrists and continuing education (CE) credits for psychologists are available to registered course participants.

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