Investigators from the Department focusing on neurodevelopment have increasingly shed light on the importance of adverse prenatal and early childhood conditions as precursors of later neurodevelopmental problems. For example, investigators have demonstrated an increased risk of schizophrenia in adulthood in individuals exposed in utero to famine, as well as an increased risk of schizophrenia after prenatal exposure to rubella. Other current studies include: a study on autism and hazardous waste sites; a study of neurodevelopment among very prematurely born children; and studies of chromosomal anomalies with implications for early brain development. Together with investigators focusing on the environment, the Department conducts studies of the effect of pre and post natal exposure to lead and arsenic on subsequent neurodevelopment. The Department has close ties with the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, a premier center for neuroepidemiology, where several key faculty are located. The Sergievsky Center has its own strong research program, including investigations on epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and mental retardation and diseases of the aging central nervous system (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson disease, essential tremor).

Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center

Imprints Center for Genetic and Environmental Lifecourse Studies