Schechter Daniel

Biography

Their group is specifically examining what affects maternal violence-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related comorbid conditions might have on mother-child interaction in both psychological and behavioral terms, as well as in terms of associated stress-reactivity within the HPA-axis and autonomic nervous system in both mothers and children. The present study underway relies also on the use of functional neuroimaging and genetics to identify endophenotypes that might contribute to risk vs. resilience. To this end the project collaborates with the Department of Medical Genetics and Development for genetic and epigenetic analyses (Ariane Giacobino). The study is both cross-sectional and longitudinal, in that it examines individual child outcomes, as well as endophenotypic patterns in mothers and their children over time. Our research group is also engaged in the manualization and development of evidence-based interventions to address the psychophysiologic dysregulation in traumatized families and to reduce the likelihood of intergenerational transmission of trauma and violence. The Geneva Early Childhood Stress Project is a component study of the SNSF-funded NCCR: Synaptic Basis of Mental Diseases (SYNAPSY). Within the recent re-configuration of this NCCR-SYNAPSY, the project has become an essential part of "Axis II" which is composed of clinical and basic neuroscience projects that focus on the impact of environmental factors, principally early life stress on biology and developmental psychopathology.  

Research Interest

Neurology