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Funded Grants

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Maternal care and child neurodevelopment: A longitudinal gene x environment analysis of socio-emotional development with an integrated approach

Project Overview

Maternal depression, particularly during pregnancy, has been well established as a risk factor for child socio-emotional problems. However, the impact varies across the population, as some individuals are resilient. Their genetic architecture may hold the secrets to the differential susceptibility. Mr. Chen’s research looks at how genomic risk profile for neurodevelopmental psychiatric disorders, particularly attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—a highly heritable, childhood-onset disorder—moderates antenatal maternal influences on socio-emotional outcomes in children. Specifically, he follows the developmental course of a Canadian birth cohort (MAVAN) to understand how maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy interact with child genomic risk profile to predict their socio-emotional traits and psychopathological development. The project also aims to describe the biological pathways that play a key role in the interaction effect and how it associates with the developing brain. Overall, the project integrates approaches and techniques from genomics, psychology, neuroimaging, and informatics. Ultimately, the research can help lead to developing effective environmental interventions or even pharmaceutical treatments that target “susceptibility” genes or biological mechanisms to help individuals who are at a greater risk for neurodevelopmental and mental health problems.

Principal Investigator

Lawrence Chen , McGill University

Partners and Donors

Azrieli Foundation

McGill University

Project Ongoing

Maternal care and child neurodevelopment: A longitudinal gene x environment analysis of socio-emotional development with an integrated approach

  • Program Type

    Capacity building grants

  • Area of research

    Mental Health

  • Disease Area

    Mental illness

  • Competition

    Brain Canada - Kids Brain Health Network Training Awards

  • Province

    Québec

  • Start Date

    2016

  • Total Grant Amount

    $60,000

Contact Us

1200 McGill College Avenue
Suite 1600, Montreal, Quebec
H3B 4G7

+1 (514) 989-2989 info@braincanada.ca

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Territorial acknowledgement

The offices of Brain Canada Foundation are located on the traditional, ancestral territory of the Kanien'kehá:ka Peoples, a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations. We honour and pay respect to elders past, present and emerging, and dedicate ourselves to moving forward in the spirit of partnership, collaboration, and reconciliation. In our work, we focus our efforts on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, particularly those that pertain to improving health for Indigenous Peoples and that focus on advancing our own learning on Indigenous issues.

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