Conveners
Keynote 1: Neurobiological Consequences of Early-Life Stress: From Mechanisms to Novel Approaches for the Developmental Programming of Lifelong Health
- Christine Heim (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin)
Description
Adversity in early life, such as childhood abuse, neglect and loss, during times of developmental plasticity can cause lifelong neurobiological changes that leave the individual vulnerable to subsequent maladaptation and at markedly heightened risk to develop a broad spectrum of diseases. Understanding mechanisms and trajectories of biological embedding across development, as well as their moderation by gene-environment interaction, is critical to design novel precision interventions that directly reverse these processes and to derive biomarkers that identify individuals who are at risk to develop disorders or are susceptible to specific interventions. Such advances will promote personalized care based on risk profiles and will inform targeted and mechanism-based interventions to mitigate the adverse outcomes of early-life stress. By specifically targeting processes of developmental programming, it may be conceivable to promote trajectories of health and adaptation with lifelong beneficial effects.
