Funded by Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
The mechanisms by which early-life stress (ELS) disrupts brain development and contributes to anxiety disorders remain poorly understood. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is particularly vulnerable to ELS, and altered PFC maturation may partly explain the heightened susceptibility to anxiety observed in females. The contribution of cortical interneurons to this process remains substantially under-investigated. This project employs longitudinal neuroimaging in rodent models to map PFC development from early postnatal stages through to adulthood, aiming to elucidate how stress-induced interneuron changes underpin anxiety-related disorders.
