Laura Ment, MD
Professor of Pediatrics (Neurology)Cards
Additional Titles
Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
Director, START Program
Featured Publication
Board Certification
1980
1979
Additional Titles
Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
Director, START Program
Featured Publication
Board Certification
1980
1979
Additional Titles
Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
Director, START Program
Featured Publication
Board Certification
1980
1979
About
Titles
Professor of Pediatrics (Neurology)
Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid; Director, START Program
Biography
Laura R. Ment, M.D., is Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology and Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, Yale University School of Medicine. A graduate of Brown University and Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Ment received her training in both pediatrics and pediatric neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Her clinical interests include neonatal brain injury in both preterm and term infants, including intraventricular hemorrhage, periventricular white matter injury, neonatal seizures, stroke and neurogenetic developmental disorders. Dr. Ment also evaluates and cares for patients with developmental delay, epilepsy and neurogenetic disorders.
A former member of the NANDS Council of the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke at NIH and Chair of its Clinical Trial Subcommittee, Dr. Ment’s research interests include adaptive mechanisms of developing brain. She was the principal investigator of two multicenter clinical studies exploring prevention of injury in preterm neonates, the long-term neurodevelopmental and neuroimaging sequelae of preterm birth and the genetic mechanisms responsible for these changes. Her magnetic resonance studies investigate neural connectivity in the preterm brain and typically developing fetus across the third trimester of gestation, and her most recent work employs state of the art MR imaging and emerging molecular technologies to identify sensitive, reliable and actionable biomarkers of growth and maturation of the developing brain.
Appointments
Office of the Dean, School of Medicine
Associate DeanDualPediatric Neurology
Interim Section ChiefDualPediatric Neurology
ProfessorPrimaryNeurology
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
- Dean's Workshops
- Financial Aid
- Medical Education Staff
- Neurology
- Office of the Dean, School of Medicine
- Pediatric Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Yale Medicine
- Yale Ventures
Education & Training
- Visiting Fellow
- Hammersmith Hospital, London, England (1979)
- Fellow
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (1979)
- Resident
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (1976)
- Intern
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (1974)
- MD
- Tufts University (1973)
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Dustin Scheinost, PhD, BS
Todd Constable, PhD
Katarzyna Chawarska, PhD
Sarah N. Taylor, MD, MSCR
Ajay Malhotra, MBBS, MD, MMM, FACR
Charles Duncan, MD, FAANS
Brain
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Publications
Featured Publications
Functional Connectivity for the Language Network in the Developing Brain: 30 Weeks of Gestation to 30 Months of Age
Scheinost D, Chang J, Lacadie C, Brennan-Wydra E, Constable RT, Chawarska K, Ment LR. Functional Connectivity for the Language Network in the Developing Brain: 30 Weeks of Gestation to 30 Months of Age. Cerebral Cortex 2021, 32: 3289-3301. PMID: 34875024, PMCID: PMC9340393, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab415.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsWeeks of gestationFirst postnatal monthMonths of agePostnatal monthFunctional connectivityWernicke's areaWeeks postmenstrual ageLanguage networkResting-state fMRI dataPostmenstrual ageFetal onsetInterhemispheric connectionsIntrahemispheric connectionsPrimary analysisOlder infantsNeurobehavioral disordersSecondary analysisGestationCross-sectional dataMonthsBrocaUnique participantsWeeksSignificant increaseFunctional connections
2024
Neonatal Neurocritical Care Training—The Time Has Come
Smyser C, Ferriero D, Ment L. Neonatal Neurocritical Care Training—The Time Has Come. JAMA Neurology 2024, 82 PMID: 39466222, DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.3619.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricDevelopmental trajectories of the default mode, frontoparietal, and salience networks from the third trimester through the newborn period
Scheinost D, Chang J, Brennan-Wydra E, Lacadie C, Constable R, Chawarska K, Ment L. Developmental trajectories of the default mode, frontoparietal, and salience networks from the third trimester through the newborn period. Imaging Neuroscience 2024, 2: 1-16. DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00201.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFronto-parietalDevelopmental trajectoriesImpact of maternal mental healthResting-state functional MRIWeeks postmenstrual ageInter-network connectivityIntra-network connectivityMaternal stress levelsMaternal mental healthPostmenstrual ageSalience networkFunctional MRINeurobehavioral disordersNeurodevelopmental disordersDMNMental healthThird trimesterConnectivity measuresSalienceConnectivity values
2023
SMC5 Plays Independent Roles in Congenital Heart Disease and Neurodevelopmental Disability
O'Brien M, Pryzhkova M, Lake E, Mandino F, Shen X, Karnik R, Atkins A, Xu M, Ji W, Konstantino M, Brueckner M, Ment L, Khokha M, Jordan P. SMC5 Plays Independent Roles in Congenital Heart Disease and Neurodevelopmental Disability. International Journal Of Molecular Sciences 2023, 25: 430. PMID: 38203602, PMCID: PMC10779392, DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010430.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchEarly brain microstructural development among preterm infants requiring caesarean section versus those delivered vaginally
Bobba P, Weber C, Malhotra A, Bahtiyar M, Copel J, Taylor S, Ment L, Payabvash S. Early brain microstructural development among preterm infants requiring caesarean section versus those delivered vaginally. Scientific Reports 2023, 13: 21514. PMID: 38057452, PMCID: PMC10700578, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48963-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism spectrum disorder-specific changes in white matter connectome edge density based on functionally defined nodes
Weber C, Lake E, Haider S, Mozayan A, Bobba P, Mukherjee P, Scheinost D, Constable R, Ment L, Payabvash S. Autism spectrum disorder-specific changes in white matter connectome edge density based on functionally defined nodes. Frontiers In Neuroscience 2023, 17: 1285396. PMID: 38075286, PMCID: PMC10702224, DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1285396.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWhite matterPositive symptom correlationAutism spectrum disorderSymptom severity scoresBetween-group differencesAbnormal connectivity patternsCortical nodesVoxel-wise analysisDiffusion tensor imagingSeverity scoreWM fiber tractsSymptom correlationClinical dataConnectome disruptionConnectome changesEarly changesCortical regionsInfantsED reductionWM disruptionDisorder-specific changesTensor imagingFunctional imagingFiber tractsProbabilistic tractography
2022
Hypoconnectivity between anterior insula and amygdala associates with future vulnerabilities in social development in a neurodiverse sample of neonates
Scheinost D, Chang J, Lacadie C, Brennan-Wydra E, Foster R, Boxberger A, Macari S, Vernetti A, Constable RT, Ment LR, Chawarska K. Hypoconnectivity between anterior insula and amygdala associates with future vulnerabilities in social development in a neurodiverse sample of neonates. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 16230. PMID: 36171268, PMCID: PMC9517994, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20617-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsFirst Year InventoryAnterior insulaFunctional connectivityMaternal mental health factorsLeft anterior insulaState functional connectivityMental health factorsSubsample of participantsPostmenstrual ageSalience networkFamily historySocial domainsNeural circuitryAutismSocial behaviorBrain imagingHigher likelihoodInsulaSocial developmentHypoconnectivityExploratory analysisThird trimesterFuture onsetHealth factorsRisk scoreBrain injury patterns in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy of term neonates
Bobba PS, Malhotra A, Sheth KN, Taylor SN, Ment LR, Payabvash S. Brain injury patterns in hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy of term neonates. Journal Of Neuroimaging 2022, 33: 79-84. PMID: 36164277, DOI: 10.1111/jon.13052.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsSevere hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathyHypoxic-ischemic encephalopathyHypoxic-ischemic lesionsSeverity of HIEModerate hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathyTerm neonatesIschemic lesionsDiffusion-weighted imagingBasal gangliaDiagnosis of HIESeverity categoriesBrain injury patternsDeep white matterMRI diffusion-weighted imagingT2-weighted imagesPresence of lesionsVoxel-wise analysisRespiration (APGAR) scoreInfarct volumeStandard brain spaceIschemic encephalopathyInjury patternsBrain injuryLentiform nucleusLesion volumeAge-dependent white matter microstructural disintegrity in autism spectrum disorder
Weber CF, Lake EMR, Haider SP, Mozayan A, Mukherjee P, Scheinost D, Bamford NS, Ment L, Constable T, Payabvash S. Age-dependent white matter microstructural disintegrity in autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers In Neuroscience 2022, 16: 957018. PMID: 36161157, PMCID: PMC9490315, DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.957018.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricAge‐related topographic map of magnetic resonance diffusion metrics in neonatal brains
Bobba PS, Weber CF, Mak A, Mozayan A, Malhotra A, Sheth KN, Taylor SN, Vossough A, Grant PE, Scheinost D, Constable RT, Ment LR, Payabvash S. Age‐related topographic map of magnetic resonance diffusion metrics in neonatal brains. Human Brain Mapping 2022, 43: 4326-4334. PMID: 35599634, PMCID: PMC9435001, DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25956.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsGestational ageCerebellar white matterWhite matterNeonatal brainDiffusion-weighted imagingCorpus callosumMD valuesCorpus callosum myelinationLower gestational ageTerm-equivalent ageSubcortical white matterFA/MDApparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) valuesMonths of ageDiffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metricsDiffusion metricsAge-related evolutionAge-related changesAge-specific normative valuesNeonatal ageBrain parenchymaCorticospinal tractNeonate brainDiffusivity metricsADC values
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Perinatal Arterial Stroke: A Multi-site RCT of Intensive Infant Rehabilitation (I-ACQUIRE) (I-ACQUIRE)
HIC ID2000025348RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date02/15/2024Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge8 months - 3 yearsGenomic Basis of Neurodevelopmental and Brain Outcomes in Congenital Heart Disease (CHD Brain and Genes)
HIC ID2000020449RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date12/31/2027Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge8+ years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
honor Norman Siegal Award
Yale School of Medicine AwardYale School of MedicineDetails07/01/2023honor Chair, Neonatal Neurocritical Care Fellowship Task Force
National AwardUCNSDetails09/01/2021honor Vice President
National AwardNewborn Brain SocietyDetails09/01/2020honor Leah Lowenstein Award
UnknownYale University School of MedicineDetails01/01/2009United Stateshonor NINDS Council
National AwardNIHDetails01/01/2009, 01/01/2005United States
Clinical Care
Overview
Laura R. Ment, MD, is a pediatric neurologist specializing in brain injuries in term newborns and premature babies. She also treats neurological problems in infants and young children, including developmental delays, seizures and epilepsy. Dr. Ment leads a team that uses state-of-the-art imaging to investigate injury and recovery in the developing brain.
A professor of pediatrics (neurology) and an associate dean of Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Ment says she has “the best job in the medical school” because she is able to care for infants and children with neurological problems. “As an intern, I fell in love with premature infants and imaging, and I have been fortunate to work in this field at Yale for my entire career,” she says.
Clinical Specialties
Fact Sheets
Developmental Delay
Learn More on Yale MedicineChild Development
Learn More on Yale MedicineFevers in Infants Under 3 Months
Learn More on Yale MedicinePsychological Assessment of Children
Learn More on Yale Medicine
Board Certifications
Neurology with Special Qual in Child Neurology
- Certification Organization
- AB of Psychiatry & Neurology
- Original Certification Date
- 1980
Pediatrics
- Certification Organization
- AB of Pediatrics
- Original Certification Date
- 1979
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