Fetal and Neonatal Neurobehavior and Prenatal Antidepressant Exposure: The Child

The goal of this project is to examine the effects of prenatal antidepressant exposure and untreated maternal depression on sleep, neurobiological rhythms, and socio-emotional development in children through age 5 with the goals of identifying guidelines for the treatment of depression during pregnancy and biomarkers for developmental psychopathology. Primary Investigators: Todd Levine MD, Amy Salisbury PhD.       

Psychophysiologic Responses in Children and Adults with Autism

Physiological reactivity in response to social stimuli is a strong potential area for developing biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).   Biomarkers may be used to improve diagnosis and prediction of functional outcomes. We investigate the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system by using multiple measures of physiologic responses, including heart rate variability, electrodermal responses, and pupilary responses. These measures yield information on individuals’ readiness to engage with the environment, and may be related to social functioning and developmental outcomes in children and adults with ASD. We are exploring how biomarkers may yield insights into the development of early symptoms of autism and whether they may be useful as measures of response to treatment. A goal of our current work in this area is to explore potential differences in physiologic responses during multiple baseline measures and in response to multiple social and nonsocial experiences.  Primary Investigators: Stephen Sheinkopf PhD, Todd Levine MD, Carolyn McCormick PhD.