Hanna Stevens, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
Prenatal stress has been associated with multiple mental health problems in children and adults. Prenatal stress has been linked to childhood cognitive, physiological, and emotional problems and has been correlated with psychiatric disorders including ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and a greater severity of symptoms in Tourette syndrome. Prenatal stress clearly has neurophysiological effects, but it is not clear what components of development are most vulnerable. The relationship of prenatal stress with behavioral disorders may be particularly mediated by changes to inhibitory (GABAergic) neurons. Animal models have demonstrated that changes occur in offspring that are exposed to prenatal stress in regions of the brain in which GABAergic systems are important regulators. In the developing brain, GABAergic system disruptions may result in changes to other neural systems that may underlie other emotional and cognitive functioning—GABA plays a significant role in circuitry formation during critical periods. The mechanisms by which these changes in the brain occur are not understood. My lab is examining developmental changes in the brain as a result of prenatal stress in order to better understand the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders and to develop better prevention and treatments.
Extensive Research Description
Prenatal stress and forebrain development
Growth factors and prenatal stress
Role of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 in forebrain functioning
Growth factors and prenatal stress
Role of fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 in forebrain functioning
Coauthors
Research Interests
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms; Child Psychiatry; Neurobiology
Public Health Interests
Child/Adolescent Health
Selected Publications
- Prenatal stress delays inhibitory neuron progenitor migration in the developing neocortexStevens HE, Su T, Yanagawa Y, Vaccarino FM. Prenatal stress delays inhibitory neuron progenitor migration in the developing neocortex. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2012, 38: 509-521. PMID: 22910687, PMCID: PMC3532962, DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.07.011.
- Learning and Memory Depend on Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 Functioning in HippocampusStevens HE, Jiang GY, Schwartz ML, Vaccarino FM. Learning and Memory Depend on Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 Functioning in Hippocampus. Biological Psychiatry 2012, 71: 1090-1098. PMID: 22541947, PMCID: PMC3371339, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.03.013.
- Induced pluripotent stem cells: A new tool to confront the challenge of neuropsychiatric disordersVaccarino FM, Stevens HE, Kocabas A, Palejev D, Szekely A, Grigorenko EL, Weissman S. Induced pluripotent stem cells: A new tool to confront the challenge of neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuropharmacology 2011, 60: 1355-1363. PMID: 21371482, PMCID: PMC3087494, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.02.021.
- Fgfr2 Is Required for the Development of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Its Connections with Limbic CircuitsStevens HE, Smith KM, Maragnoli ME, Fagel D, Borok E, Shanabrough M, Horvath TL, Vaccarino FM. Fgfr2 Is Required for the Development of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Its Connections with Limbic Circuits. Journal Of Neuroscience 2010, 30: 5590-5602. PMID: 20410112, PMCID: PMC2868832, DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5837-09.2010.
- Neural Stem Cell Regulation, Fibroblast Growth Factors, and the Developmental Origins of Neuropsychiatric DisordersStevens HE, Smith KM, Rash BG, Vaccarino FM. Neural Stem Cell Regulation, Fibroblast Growth Factors, and the Developmental Origins of Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Frontiers In Neuroscience 2010, 4: 59. PMID: 20877431, PMCID: PMC2944667, DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2010.00059.
- Risk and Resilience: Early Manipulation of Macaque Social Experience and Persistent Behavioral and Neurophysiological OutcomesStevens HE, Leckman JF, Coplan JD, Suomi SJ. Risk and Resilience: Early Manipulation of Macaque Social Experience and Persistent Behavioral and Neurophysiological Outcomes. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2009, 48: 114-127. PMID: 19127170, DOI: 10.1097/chi.0b013e318193064c.