Our laboratory has a major program of developmental research that is focused on the developmental antecedents of mood disorders and childhood depression. The lifetime risk of mood disorders in the U.S. population is about 15%. Depression represents an enormous  psychological and economic burden in our country today. The roots of mood disorders can be traced to specific patterns of emotional function in children, and our laboratory is a leader in developing a better understanding of this devastating problem.

We study children at all ages ranging from infants to adolescents, and we use a variety of different methods, including measurement of brain electrical activity and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We are studying a number of samples of infants and children over time so that we can track how early neural patterns predict the development of later mood disorders. We are also engaged in a major study of
identical and fraternal twins to obtain better estimates of the extent to which specific neurobiological features of childhood depression are heritable.

Our laboratory also serves as a magnet for collaborative efforts involving a number of other sites. We currently have major collaborations with researchers at both the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the University of Pittsburgh. At NIMH we have a unique opportunity to study children with bipolar disorder or those at risk for bipolor disorder. Bipolar disorder is a devastating condition that is associated with a very high risk of suicide. New findings are beginning to emerge that help us to better understand the basis for emotional instability in these children and that offer new possibilities for the development of therapeutic interventions, both behavioral and pharmacological. At the University of Pittsburgh, we are collecting brain electrical measurements from a very large sample of adolescents (~3000) on whom we also have detailed information on specific genetic polymorphisms that are known to affect brain circuitry underlying emotion and emotion regulation. This effort will allow us for the first time to examine relations between specific molecular genetic risk factors and systems level brain functioning critical for emotion regulation. All of this information will be crucial in better identifying children at-risk earlier in life and also in the development of new interventions.

The Opportunity: The Brain Imaging Lab is uniquely positioned to take advantage of a number of ongoing longitudinal studies that will enable us to identify early neural risk factors that predict childhood
depression. Having this information earlier in life prior to the development of a full-blown disorder may permit prophylactic action and prevention strategies.