Stress can affect brain function, behaviour and cognition and, eventually, have a considerable impact in our social lives; e.g., on the nature of social interactions, individuals’ sociability, aggressiveness, or the rank attained by individuals in social hierarchies. Timing of exposure is important; stress during early life can exert particularly strong programming effects. Research is starting to reveal some of the structural, functional and molecular changes in the brain that mediate the effects of stress on social behaviours. Findings in this emerging field will have implications both for the clinic and for society.
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Dr. Carman Sandi is a Professor at the EPFL, where she directs the Brain Mind Institute and the Laboratory of Behavioural Genetics. She received her PhD at the Cajal Institute, Madrid, and had postdoctoral appointments at the University of Bordeaux and the UK Open University. Before joining the EPFL in 2003, she was Professor at UNED in Madrid. She has published over 170 research articles and contributed to various books. She was the founding Editor-in-chief of Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience (2007-2014) and President of the European Brain and Behaviour Society (2011-2013). Currently, she is member of the Executive Council of the European Molecular and Cellular Cognition Society (EMCCS) and President-elect of the Federation of European Neurosciences (FENS).
Prof. Sandi Laboratory investigates the mechanisms whereby stress shapes the social brain, particularly the emergence of violence and social hierarchies. A special emphasis in their research is placed on the role of glucocorticoid hormones and brain bioenergetics in the regulation of brain and behaviour. Find more information on Carmen Sandi here. |