The Cognitive-Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab is directed by Dr. Cecile Ladouceur and is part of the University of Pittsburgh’s Psychiatry Department.

What regions are involved in the identification and regulation of emotions?

Research suggests functional connectivity across the ventrolateral-prefrontal cortex-amygdala regions
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What regions are involved in the cognitive control of reward information?

Depressed vs healthy adolescents show differing activation of key areas (significan regions shown in red).

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Multi-Modal Research Methods

Our research blends together multiple domains of data collection.

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fMRI

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) works by using magnetic waves to detect patterns of blood flow activity inside the brain. This allows us to see what areas of the brain are working during different tasks. Our lab uses a 3T MRI scanner, located at the Magnetic Resonance Research Center (MRRC), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
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DTI

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an MRI technique that uses the diffusion of water molecules in the brain to study the location, orientation, and anisotropy of white matter tracts.
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EEG

Electroencephalography (EEG) uses small metal discs placed on the scalp to measure real-time electrical activity in the brain.
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ERPs

Event-related potentials (ERPs) are continuous measures of brain responses. ERPs allow us to pinpoint when the brain is responding to different events.
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Actigraphy

Participants are given wrist-worn devices to wear outside the lab. These devices collect data on participants’ activity level, sleep patterns, and ambient light exposure in their daily lives.
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Clincial Interviews

Trained researchers conduct clinical interviews with teens and their families to better understand their perspective of their mood and behavior. These interviews cover information across the lifetime, up until the present day.
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Behavioral Measures

Our behavioral measures include tasks that measure response time, delayed gratification, emotion regulation, and risk taking behavior.
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Self-Report Measures

Participants and their families complete self-report measures that ask questions about themselves, their background, and their mood. These are completed both in the lab, as well as at their home through an online portal.
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CAN-D Lab News

2019 DANS Conference

The 2019 DANS Conference’s goal is to promote translational research across animal models and human neuroimagining. It provides a collaborative forum for researchers conducting clinically relevant research from a developmental affective neuroscience framework.

 This year’s theme is: Developmental Trajectories of Affective Systems. 

This event will be held at the University Club in Pittsburgh, PA on November 7-8, 2019.

Welcome reception will be the evening of November 6, 2019.

Find out more information here.

July 2018: Mood and Brain Circuitry in Adolescence Study Now Recruiting

To find out more information about participating, visit the study website.

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