Väitös (psykiatria): MSc Niloofar Hashempour
Aika
13.9.2024 klo 12.00 - 16.00
MSc Niloofar Hashempour esittää väitöskirjansa ”CHILD BRAIN DEVELOPMENT: EXPLORING PRENATAL IMPACTS AND EMOTIONAL PERCEPTION THROUGH ADVANCED NEUROIMAGING – Findings from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study” julkisesti tarkastettavaksi Turun yliopistossa perjantaina 13.09.2024 klo 12.00 (Turun yliopisto, Medisiina C, Osmo Järvi -luentosali, Kiinamyllynkatu 10, Turku).
Yleisön on mahdollista osallistua väitökseen myös etäyhteyden kautta: https://echo360.org.uk/section/b4b9a3ec-4c53-43ac-89e6-935bc5a071ed/public (kopioi linkki selaimeen).
Vastaväittäjänä toimii apulaisprofessori Predrag Petrovic (Karoliininen instituutti, Tukholma, Ruotsi) ja kustoksena professori Hasse Karlsson (Turun yliopisto). Tilaisuus on englanninkielinen. Väitöksen alana on psykiatria.
Väitöskirja yliopiston julkaisuarkistossa: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-29-9864-7 (kopioi linkki selaimeen).
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Tiivistelmä väitöstutkimuksesta:
The amygdala, a small but crucial part of our brain, acts as the control center for our emotions. It starts developing before we're even born and continues to grow rapidly during infancy. This research focuses on how a mother's emotional state during pregnancy can shape the development of her baby's amygdala, potentially influencing the child’s emotional responses as they grow. We also studied how amygdala is linked to emotional perception in infants.
To explore this, advanced neuroimaging techniques like MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and DTI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging) were used. MRI helps capture detailed images of the brain, while DTI allows the examination of the brain's structure at a microscopic level.
The first part of this research involved developing a method to accurately identify and measure the amygdala in newborn brain scans. This was essential for understanding how the amygdala develops during early life. Next, we investigated how a mother's depressive symptoms during pregnancy might be linked to changes in her baby's amygdala. Interestingly, the findings showed that boys were more affected by these changes than girls. For instance, boys whose mothers experienced higher levels of depression during pregnancy showed specific alterations in their amygdala, which could impact their emotional development later in life.
In the final part of this research, we explored how early changes in the amygdala might influence infants' emotional perception. Using the eye-tracking method, we found that babies with certain amygdala changes responded differently to emotions like fear. This suggests that early brain development plays a crucial role in shaping how children react to and process emotional cues.
Overall, these findings emphasize how early brain changes affect emotional processing and highlight the critical need to address maternal emotional health. By doing so, we can better support and enhance the emotional development of children from the very beginning.
Yleisön on mahdollista osallistua väitökseen myös etäyhteyden kautta: https://echo360.org.uk/section/b4b9a3ec-4c53-43ac-89e6-935bc5a071ed/public (kopioi linkki selaimeen).
Vastaväittäjänä toimii apulaisprofessori Predrag Petrovic (Karoliininen instituutti, Tukholma, Ruotsi) ja kustoksena professori Hasse Karlsson (Turun yliopisto). Tilaisuus on englanninkielinen. Väitöksen alana on psykiatria.
Väitöskirja yliopiston julkaisuarkistossa: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-29-9864-7 (kopioi linkki selaimeen).
***
Tiivistelmä väitöstutkimuksesta:
The amygdala, a small but crucial part of our brain, acts as the control center for our emotions. It starts developing before we're even born and continues to grow rapidly during infancy. This research focuses on how a mother's emotional state during pregnancy can shape the development of her baby's amygdala, potentially influencing the child’s emotional responses as they grow. We also studied how amygdala is linked to emotional perception in infants.
To explore this, advanced neuroimaging techniques like MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and DTI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging) were used. MRI helps capture detailed images of the brain, while DTI allows the examination of the brain's structure at a microscopic level.
The first part of this research involved developing a method to accurately identify and measure the amygdala in newborn brain scans. This was essential for understanding how the amygdala develops during early life. Next, we investigated how a mother's depressive symptoms during pregnancy might be linked to changes in her baby's amygdala. Interestingly, the findings showed that boys were more affected by these changes than girls. For instance, boys whose mothers experienced higher levels of depression during pregnancy showed specific alterations in their amygdala, which could impact their emotional development later in life.
In the final part of this research, we explored how early changes in the amygdala might influence infants' emotional perception. Using the eye-tracking method, we found that babies with certain amygdala changes responded differently to emotions like fear. This suggests that early brain development plays a crucial role in shaping how children react to and process emotional cues.
Overall, these findings emphasize how early brain changes affect emotional processing and highlight the critical need to address maternal emotional health. By doing so, we can better support and enhance the emotional development of children from the very beginning.
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