Our Mission
The
goal of our work at the Stress, Cognition, and Affective Neuroscience
Laboratory (SCAN Lab) at the University of New Orleans is to inform prevention,
mitigation, and treatment of adult mental illness by identifying and
understanding risk factors in childhood and adolescence.
To this end, we study how the physiological effects of anxiety and stress influence development and health in populations of people at-risk for serious mental illness in adulthood including anxiety and mood disorders, schizophrenia, and other neurodegenerative diseases.
It's important to note that stress in childhood and adolescence does not necessarily result in mental health issues later in life. For some children though, severe or chronic stress interacts with other risk factors related to genetics, temperament, and experience to increase likelihood of psychopathology.
We are now inviting families affected by chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (also known as velocardiofacial or DiGeorge syndromes) to participate in an important online study on stress and health. In our research, we use a variety of tools including functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) along with behavioral, psychophysiological, hormonal, immunological, and cognitive measures.
Please visit our Research Page to learn more about our projects and what you and your child can expect during a visit to the SCAN Lab at UNO. Contact Us for more information about how you and your family can become involved.