Elysia P. Davis, PhD

My program of research evaluates the influence on early-life experiences on neurodevelopment. I have led an NIH funded research program that has contributed to an important shift in our understanding of the role of the prenatal environment in fetal neurodevelopment and the ensuing consequences for child and adolescent mental health. Building on this research program, Project 3 evaluates a new form of early adversity, fragmentation or unpredictability of maternal signals. During the past 4 years of the Center funding period, we have demonstrated that early-life exposure to fragmented maternal signals during the prenatal and postnatal periods exerts long-term consequences on cognitive and emotional development. For example, in both rodents and humans early-life exposure to unpredictable maternal sensory signals predicts cognitive impairments, particularly on hippocampal-dependent memory tasks. The parallel between our experimental evidence that unpredictable maternal sensory signals to the pup causally impacts cognitive development in the rat and observational links between these signals and human cognitive functioning supports the argument that predictability of maternal sensory signals influences cognitive development in both species. Thus, these findings strongly suggest that predictability of maternal sensory signals is one of the processes by which maternal care regulates neurodevelopment. In the present proposal we investigate the consequences of early-life fragmentation on a novel outcome, anhedonia.

I am experienced with the methodology to assess adolescents proposed in this application. I have longitudinally assessed this cohort from the prenatal period through early adolescence. In collaboration, with this Conte Center team we have demonstrated our ability to recruit and maintain children and adolescence for long-term follow up studies. Not only do I have the skills and experience necessary to oversee the adolescent assessments, but I also have a collaborative relationship with members of the study team. The successful collaborative relationship I maintain with the study team combined with the experience of our research team will ensure successful implementation of the proposed project.