Plenary A: Order and Disorder in the Developing Emotional Brain: Prospects for Cultivating Healthy Minds

Monday, December 3, 2012 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM

Location: Columbia 5 & 8

Featured Presenter(s)

Richard J. Davidson, PhD
Center for Investigating Healthy Minds
Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior
Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dr. Davidson is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Research in my laboratories is focused on cortical and subcortical substrates of emotion and affective disorders, including depression and anxiety. We study normal adults and young children, and those with, or at risk for, affective and anxiety disorders. We use quantitative electrophysiology, positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging to make inferences about patterns of regional brain function. A major focus of our current work is on interactions between prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in the regulation of emotion in both normal subjects and patients with affective and anxiety disorders."

Learn more about Dr. Davidson here.

Session Description

Individual differences in emotional reactivity and emotion regulation are pronounced and they account for substantial variation in developmental outcome and in predicting vulnerability and resilience in the face of challenge. The neural substrates and biobehavioral correlates of such developmental individual differences will be described. This work will form the backdrop for a consideration of how these emotional styles might be shaped through training. Recent initiatives that are focused on training mindfulness and kindness in children and adolescents will be described and early evidence on the impact of such training on behavior and brain function will be presented. The talk will underscore the need for a serious national research effort that is focused on cultivating social and emotional skills in children to foster the development of healthy minds.