Children who experience early adversity often develop emotion regulatory problems, but little is known about the mechanisms that mediate this relation. We tested whether general associative learning processes contribute to associations between adversity, in the form of child maltreatment, and negative behavioral outcomes.
Seth Pollak
How chronic stress in early childhood shapes the brain
Waisman Center investigator Seth Pollak was recently interviewed by the BOLD Blog on Learning and Development. In the interview, Pollak discusses how chronic stress in early childhood shapes the brain. You can read the full …
How is early childhood adversity linked to behavioral problems?
Children who face severe adversity, such as physical abuse, early in life often develop behavioral and emotional problems. But the underlying psychological mechanisms that link early adversity with negative outcomes have remained unclear. A new …
Early environment can change your brain
Seth Pollak, PhD, Waisman Center investigator and professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was recently featured in a story about how childhood poverty can influence brain development and hinder success in school and …
Seth Pollak, PhD
Legend: The major foci in the brain that appear to show disparities in poor children are the hippocampus and frontal lobe. These 3D renderings depict the hippocampus in blue and the frontal lobe in red/yellow. …
Childhood stress can reconfigure biology, UW-Madison research says
Abused children tend to develop lifelong emotional and physical problems, and now UW-Madison scientists may have found a biological reason: Maltreatment appears to turn off a gene that regulates stress.
Early life stress can leave lasting impacts on the brain
For children, stress can go a long way. A little bit provides a platform for learning, adapting and coping. But a lot of it — chronic, toxic stress like poverty, neglect and physical abuse — can have lasting negative impacts.
Poverty influences children’s early brain development
Poverty may have direct implications for important, early steps in the development of the brain, saddling children of low-income families with slower rates of growth in two key brain structures, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Exam jitters? Professors battle test anxiety, too
Students aren’t alone when it comes to exam nerves. Turns out some professors grapple with worry and angst at test time, too.
Hormones may usher abused girls into early adulthood
During the sort of tense situation that makes palms sweat and voices quaver, children and young adults are typically awash in cortisol, a stress hormone that sounds an alarm and prepares the body for fight-or-flight responses to danger.