Some Thoughts on the Relationship of Developmental Science and Population Neuroscience

Article type: Review Article

Authors: Paus, Tomáš

Affiliations: Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Tomáš Paus, Rotman Research Institute, 3560 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada. E-mail: tpaus@rotman-baycrest.on.ca

Abstract: This essay describes briefly population neuroscience, the merging of genetics and epidemiology with neuroscience, and its goals with regard to (1) gaining new knowledge about processes leading to a particular state of brain structure and function, and (2) using this knowledge to predict the risk (and resilience) of an individual for developing a brain disorder. It then argues that these goals are best reached by espousing a developmental perspective that acknowledges the importance of the time dimension (within and across generations) when studying multi-level factors shaping the human brain.

Keywords: brain, imaging, genes, epidemiology, risk, resilience

DOI: 10.3233/DEV-2012-11086

Journal: International Journal of Developmental Science, vol. 6, no. 1-2, pp. 9-11, 2012