Abstract

Signals in the early environment are potent effectors of brain development. Variations in early species-typical experiences, such as parental caregiving, reveal the profound effects on the development of neurocircuitry involved in affective learning and regulation (e.g., amygdala, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex). This talk will focus on both typical development as well as development following caregiver deprivation showing that early life early environments may influence development through learning as well as altering developmental pacing of this circuitry. These age-related changes will be discussed in terms of potential developmental sensitive periods for environmental influence.