Why Study the Developing Brain?

How much is universal, shared by all humans, and how much is specific and unique to each individual? How do learning and experience change how our brains work and who we are? Is there something we could see in a brain image that would be the earliest sign of a problem like autism, or dyslexia, or depression? Can we use this research to understand why human babies are so resilient to some kinds of trauma and so vulnerable to others?

These are the sorts of big picture questions that motivate developmental neuroscientists like us to come to work in the morning. Individual experiments tend to expand our knowledge a little bit at a time, and they sometimes fail (especially when you're asking a baby to sit still!). Together, though, they will allow us to build an understanding of ourselves and the ability to help. Hear and read more about what our lab is up to at the links below.