Jamie Hanson

Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh Department of Psychology

Research Scientist, Learning Research & Development Center

Lab

http://www.lifelab.pitt.edu

Education and Training

PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Research Interests

My research focuses on how children and adolescents learn about their environment, how brain circuitry involved with learning may be impacted by early life stress, and how these brain changes may confer risks for negative outcomes. Through the use of structural and functional MRI, my research aims to learn about the impact of stress on neurobiology through a focus on two different forms of behavior. First, I have explored how early life stress may increase risk for disruptive behavioral problems through alterations in the brain. Second, I have focused on how early life stress may convey risk for depression. Through a series of studies, I have found that the risks for different forms of psychopathology associated with early life stress are conveyed by specific alterations in brain circuitry responsible for reward and socio-emotional information processing. This research program includes longitudinal assessments of individuals at multiple levels of analysis, including neurobiology, family functioning, and developmental history.

Recent Publications

Kennedy, B. V., Hanson, J. L., Buser, N. J., van den Bos, W., Rudolph, K. D., Davidson, R. J., & Pollak, S. D. (2021). Accumbofrontal tract integrity is related to early life adversity and feedback learning. Neuropsychopharmacology.

Gilmore, A.D., Buser, N.J., & Hanson, J.L. (2021). Variations in structural MRI quality significantly impact commonly used measures of brain anatomy.? Brain Informatics,? 8,? 7.

Sequeira, S.L., Silk, J.S., Ladouceur, C.D., Hanson, J.L., Ryan, N.D., Dahl, R., Morgan, J., & Forbes, E.E. (2021). Function in neural reward circuitry is associated with psychological treatment response in youth with anxiety disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry.

Donofry, S. D., Stillman, C. M., Hanson, J. L., Sheridan, M., Sun, S., Loucks, E. B., & Erickson, K. I. (2021). Promoting brain health through physical activity among adults exposed to early life adversity: Potential mechanisms and theoretical framework. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews.

Palacios-Barrios, E. E., Hanson, J. L., Barry, K. R., Albert, D., White, S. F., Skinner, A. T., & Lansford, J. E. (2021). Lower neural value signaling in the prefrontal cortex is related to childhood family income and depressive symptomatology during adolescence. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 48.

Jamie's Google Scholar profile

News and Awards