“Dynamic consequences of early life stress on brain development: from endocrinology to epigenetics”

Catherine Jensen Peña, PhD
Assistant Professor,
Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Abstract: Children who experience early life stress are twice as likely to have major depression or anxiety episodes when facing additional stress later in life. Yet, the mechanisms of such stress sensitization have remained enigmatic. We focus on reward circuitry including the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). Using complementary cellular-level approaches, we find that: 1) cells initially responsive to ELS contribute to lifelong hypersensitivity, and 2) ELS alters the trajectory of molecular brain development through epigenetic and neuroendocrine modifications. Notably, thyroid hormone signaling (including Otx2) impacts dopamine neuron maintenance subserving lifelong stress sensitivity.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 12:00 pm

Free and open to the public. In person: 52 Oxford Street, B101, Cambridge, MA 02138 / Zoom: Email Conte@Harvard.edu