Nim Tottenham
About
Titles
Biography
Nim Tottenham, Ph.D. uses magnetic resonance imaging and behavioral methods to examine the development of the human amygdala and its neural connections and associated emotional development, including emotional reactivity and management with the aim of identifying sensitive periods for human amygdala-cortical development. She examines limbic-cortical development in both typical groups of children and adolescents and those who have experienced early life adversity. She is a recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology, the National Institute of Mental Health Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS) Award, and the Developmental Science Early Career Researcher Prize. She received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Barnard College of Columbia University and her doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota. She received postdoctoral training from the Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology at Weill Cornell Medical College. More information on her research and laboratory can be found at: http://tottenhamlab.psych.ucla.edu/.
Appointments
Child Study Center
Associate Professor AdjunctPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Research
Publications
2024
Probing the content of affective semantic memory following caregiving‐related early adversity
Vannucci A, Fields A, Bloom P, Camacho N, Choy T, Durazi A, Hadis S, Harmon C, Heleniak C, VanTieghem M, Dozier M, Milham M, Ghetti S, Tottenham N. Probing the content of affective semantic memory following caregiving‐related early adversity. Developmental Science 2024, e13518. PMID: 38664866, DOI: 10.1111/desc.13518.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSemantic memoryAttachment securityParent-child interactionsCaregiving adversityEarly adversityAttachment experiencesCognitive neuroscience frameworkFalse memory taskEarly caregiving adversityInternal working modelsMemory taskAttachment schemasNeuroscience frameworkFalse recognitionPreregistered studyBowlby's notionChild reportsSchema representationPotential malleabilityAdverse exposuresSchema knowledgeCognitive scienceParental-reportMemoryAdversityThe effects of parental presence on amygdala and mPFC activation during fear conditioning: An exploratory study
Abramson L, Callaghan B, Silvers J, Choy T, VanTieghem M, Vannucci A, Fields A, Tottenham N. The effects of parental presence on amygdala and mPFC activation during fear conditioning: An exploratory study. Developmental Science 2024, e13505. PMID: 38549194, DOI: 10.1111/desc.13505.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMedial prefrontal cortexMedial prefrontal cortex activationFear conditioning taskFear learningUnconditioned stimulusMPFC activityAmygdala activationConditioning taskUnconditioned responseConditioned threat cueConditioned fear stimuliChildren's stress responsesMultiple comparison correctionThreat cuesFear conditioningPrefrontal cortexSafety cuesAversive stimuliFearful stimuliAversive noiseBehavioral effectsRodent findingsStress responseBOLD activityUS presentationsPreliminary examination of the effects of an early parenting intervention on amygdala-orbitofrontal cortex resting-state functional connectivity among high-risk children: A randomized clinical trial.
Korom M, Valadez E, Tottenham N, Dozier M, Spielberg J. Preliminary examination of the effects of an early parenting intervention on amygdala-orbitofrontal cortex resting-state functional connectivity among high-risk children: A randomized clinical trial. Development And Psychopathology 2024, 1-9. PMID: 38247369, DOI: 10.1017/s0954579423001669.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchResting-state functional connectivityMiddle childhoodFunctional connectivityResting-state functional MRI scansChildren's emotion regulationFunctional MRI scansChild protective servicesRs-FC analysisEarly parenting interventionsCPS-involved familiesEmotion regulationRs-FCSeed-based RS FC analysisFoster care programsEvidence-based parenting programsParenting interventionsHigh-risk childrenGroup-level predictorsComparison groupParenting programsGroup of familiesMRI scansChildrenRandomized clinical trialsChildhood
2023
Affective Brain Development in Concert with Caregivers
Tottenham N. Affective Brain Development in Concert with Caregivers. 2023, 00: 1-1. DOI: 10.1109/aciiw59127.2023.10388104.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBrain developmentHuman brain developmentChildren's brain developmentDevelopmental sensitive periodsAffecting brain developmentAge-related changesCaregiving environmentAffective behaviorAffective learningEnvironmental influencesSensitive periodParent caregiversProlonged developmentSocial environmentCaregiversNeurocircuitryChildrenLearning