The Ayesha Sengupta Lab
Most cases of lifelong mental illness begin in adolescence, but the mechanisms in the brain that cause vulnerability to psychiatric disorders at this age are not well understood. In particular, emotional processing is different in adolescents compared to adults, which may underlie this susceptibility. The goal of my research program is to investigate anatomical and physiological changes that occur in brain cells and that impact communication between brain cells over the course of adolescent maturation into adulthood. We also investigate how these neurobiological changes map onto altered behavioural traits, particularly with respect to emotional regulation and dysregulation, which are central aspects of mental illness.