Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Laboratory in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

The goals of our Neuroscience and Neuroimaging Laboratory in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry are to study brain development and functioning in children, along with the influence of specific genetic factors on development. We aim at better understanding how genetic and brain alterations contribute to the emergence of cognitive or behavioral difficulties or psychiatric disorders during the course of development. Our research focuses on individuals who have genetic, neuropsychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders, which result in behavior, learning or emotional regulation difficulties. A collaborative multidisciplinary approach that includes genetic, structural and functional neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience has the following goals:

• A better definition of neurogenetic syndromes and conditions studied
• Identify markers of cognitive impairments
• Identify risk factors for psychiatric diseases and symptoms
• Use specific neurogenetic conditions as a homogeneous genetic model to better understand interactions between genes, brain, behavior and environmental factors in the etiopathogeny of neuropsychiatric diseases.

Ultimately, a better understanding of neuropsychiatric and neurogenetic diseases will allow us to better treat and improve the quality of life of affected children and their families.