Research

Childhood and adolescence are marked by dynamic changes in emotional learning and regulation. Interactions between limbic and cortical brain structures and connectivity underlie the development of these fundamental affective behaviors and play a central role in emotional learning and regulation in adulthood. However, there are key gaps in knowledge about the developmental construction of this circuitry in humans. Disruption in the development of connections between regions such as the amygdala and prefrontal cortex can lead to altered emotional behavior and increase risk for myriad mental health disorders at unique stages of development. Our research seeks to delineate the developmental trajectories of corticolimbic circuitry and related changes in emotional learning and regulation, as well as to serve as a foundation for studies of the many clinical populations in which this circuitry is implicated.

Select publications:

Gee, D.G. (2022). Neurodevelopmental mechanisms linking early experiences and mental health: Translating science to promote well-being among youth. American Psychologist, 77(9), 1033-1045.

Sisk, L.M, Rapuano, K.M., Conley, M.I., Greene, A.S., Horien, C., Rosenberg, M.D., Scheinost, D., Constable, R.T., Glatt, C.E., Casey, B.J., Gee, D.G. (2022). Genetic variation in endocannabinoid signaling is associated with differential network-level functional connectivity in youth. Journal of Neuroscience Research, 100(3), 731-743.

Brieant, A.E., Sisk, L.M, Gee, D.G. (2021). Associations among Negative Life Events, Changes in Cortico-Limbic Connectivity, and Psychopathology in the ABCD Study. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 52, 101022.

Gee, D.G., Cohodes, E.M. (2021). Caregiving Influences on Development: A Sensitive Period for Biological Embedding of Predictability and Safety Cues. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(5), 376-383.

Gee*, D.G., Fetcho*, R., Jing*, D. Li*, A., Glatt, C.E., Drysdale, A.T., Cohen, A.O., Dellarco, D.V., Yang, R., Dale, A.M., Jernigan, T.L., Lee, F.S., Casey, B.J., and the PING Consortium. (2016). Individual differences in frontolimbic circuitry and anxiety emerge with adolescent changes in endocannabinoid signaling across species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(16), 4500-5.

Gee*, D.G., Gabard-Durnam*, L., Telzer, E.H., Humphreys, K.L., Goff, B., Flannery, J., Shapiro, M., Lumian, D.S., Fareri, D.S., Caldera, C., Tottenham, N. (2014). Maternal buffering of amygdala-prefrontal circuitry during childhood but not during adolescence. Psychological Science, 25(11), 2067-78.

From variability in caregiving to experiences of trauma, early environments play an important role in shaping neurodevelopment and mental health. Caregivers are central to healthy brain development, and corticolimbic circuitry is particularly sensitive to stress and disruptions in caregiving environments. Our research examines key influences on development––for example, how supportive caregiving can scaffold emotion regulation and buffer stress reactivity, and how adversity can disrupt these processes. We study how the developing brain adapts to the environment to better understand risk and resilience following early-life stress and trauma, with a focus on individual differences, the timing and nature of stress, and coping responses. By identifying sensitive periods, when the environment has particularly strong influences on brain and behavioral development, we aim to understand how experiences become biologically embedded and when specific interventions can be most effective.

Select publications:

Gee, D.G. (2021). Early Adversity and Development: Parsing Heterogeneity and Identifying Pathways of Risk and Resilience. American Journal of Psychiatry, 178(11), 998-1013.

Gee*, D.G. & Cohodes*, E.M. (2023). Leveraging the developmental neuroscience of caregiving to promote resilience among youth exposed to adversity. Development and Psychopathology, 35(5), 2168-2185.

Hong*, S.J., Sisk*, L.M., Caballero, C., Mekhanik, A., Roy, A.K., Milham, M.P., Gee, D.G. (2021). Decomposing complex relationships between the childhood environment and brain structure in school-aged youth. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 48:100919.

Nook, E. C., Nardini, C. Zacharek, S. J., Hommel, G. Spencer, H., Martino, A. Morra, A. Flores, S. Anderson, T., Marin, C. Silverman, W. K., Lebowitz, E. R., & Gee, D. G. (2023). Affective language spreads between anxious children and their mothers during a challenging puzzle task. Emotion, 23(6), 1513-1521.

Ip, K.I., Sisk, L.M., Conley, M.I., Rapuano, K.M., Rosenberg, M.D., Greene, A.S., Horien, C., Scheinost, D., Constable, T., Casey, B.J., Baskin-Sommers, A., Gee, D.G. (2022). Associations among Household and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantages, Resting-state Frontoamygdala Connectivity, and Internalizing Symptoms in Youth. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 34(10), 1810-1841.

Gee, D.G., Gabard-Durnam, L., Flannery, J., Goff, B., Humphreys, K., Telzer, E.H., Hare, T.A., Bookheimer, S.Y., Tottenham, N. (2013). Early developmental emergence of human amygdala-prefrontal connectivity after maternal deprivation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(39), 15638-43.

Cohodes, E.M., McCauley, S., Preece, D.A., Gross, J.J., Gee, D.G. (2022). The Link Between COVID-19 Stress and Child Mental Health is Moderated by Parental Assistance with Emotion Regulation. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology.

Sisk, L.M., Gee, D.G. (2022). Stress and Adolescence: Vulnerability and Opportunity during a Sensitive Window of Development. Current Opinions in Psychology, 44, 286-292.

Gee, D.G. & Casey, B.J. (2015). The impact of developmental timing for stress and recovery. Neurobiology of Stress, 1, 184-194.

Cohodes, E.M., Kribakaran, S., Odriozola, P., Bakirci, S., McCauley, S.C., Hodges, H.R., Sisk, L.M., Zacharek, S.J., Gee, D.G. (2021). Migration-Related Trauma and Mental Health among Migrant Children Emigrating from Mexico and Central America to the United States: Effects on Developmental Neurobiology and Implications for Policy. Developmental Psychobiology, 63(6), e22158.

The majority of mental health disorders emerge during the course of development, and anxiety disorders are the most common among children and adolescents. Applying knowledge of typical and atypical brain and behavioral development can provide critical insight into neurodevelopmental pathways to psychopathology and how to best intervene for youth exposed to trauma and with mental health disorders. Our research examines developmental changes in processes such as fear learning and emotion regulation to advance knowledge of mechanisms of risk and treatment at specific developmental stages. Ultimately, we aim to translate studies of developmental affective neuroscience to inform innovative therapies and preventive strategies for individuals with anxiety and stress-related disorders. As part of this work, we are engaged in treatment-related studies that focus on the role of caregivers in treatment for youth with anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and on efforts to optimize interventions based on the developing brain.

Select publications:

Gee, D.G., Sisk, L.M., Cohodes, E.M., Bryce, N.V. (2022). Leveraging the science of stress to promote resilience and optimize mental health interventions during adolescence. Nature Communications, 13(1), 5693.

Kitt, E.R., Lewis, K.M., Galbraith, J., Abend, R., Smith, A.R., Lebowitz, E.R., Pine, D.S., Gee, D.G. (2022). Family accommodation in pediatric anxiety: Relations with avoidance and self-efficacy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 154, 104107.

Meyer*, H, Odriozola*, P., Cohodes, E.M., Mandell, J.D., Hall, B., Li, A., Yang, R., Haberman, J.T., Zacharek, S.J., Liston, C., Lee**, F.S., Gee**, D.G. (2019). Ventral hippocampus interacts with prelimbic cortex during inhibition of threat response via learned safety in both mice and humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(52), 26970-26979.

Harrewijn, A., Kitt, E.R., Abend, R., Matsumoto, C., Odriozola, P., Winkler, A., Leibenluft, E., Pine, D.S., Gee, D.G. (2021). Neural correlates of conditioned inhibition in children with and without anxiety disorders - A Preliminary study. Behavioural Brain Research.

Odriozola, P., & Gee, D.G. (2021). Learning about safety: Conditioned inhibition as a novel approach to fear reduction targeting the developing brain. American Journal of Psychiatry.

Kribakaran, S., Danese, A., Bromis, K., Kempton, M.J., Gee, D.G. (2020). Meta-analysis of structural MRI studies in pediatric PTSD and comparison with related conditions. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 5(1), 23-34.

Kitt, E.R., Zacharek, S.J., Odriozola, P., Nardini, C., Hommel, G., Martino, A., Anderson, T., Spencer, H., Broussard, A., Marin, C.E., Silverman, W.K., Lebowitz, E.R., Gee, D.G. (2024). Responding to threat: Associations between neural reactivity to and behavioral avoidance of threat in pediatric anxiety. Journal of Affective Disorders, 351, 818-826.