
Shaping the Developing Brain: Prenatal through Early Childhood Fifth Annual Aspen Brain Forum
Tuesday, November 11, 2014 - Thursday, November 13, 2014
Presented By
The future success of a child is crucially dependent upon the earliest stages of brain development, during pregnancy and infancy. Scientific research from multiple academic and medical disciplines has shown that the changes that take place during this early period of brain development can profoundly shape the rest of a child's life, and affect long-term health, well-being, and cognitive ability.
As a child grows — from inside the womb through the first few years of life — massive changes take place in the connectivity and plasticity of the brain. Deepening our understanding of the connection between a child’s early behavioral milestones and their brain’s structural and neural development is a critical first step for promoting healthy brain development, as well as improving treatments for developmental and learning disorders. Additionally, functional or dysfunctional social and family relationships, socioeconomic status/poverty, stress, nutrition, and other environmental experiences produce lasting effects on the brain and impact how children will respond to adversity, how they will interact with their peers, and whether they will succeed in school and throughout their lives.
This 2.5-day conference will convene leading researchers with expertise in the fundamental stages of early brain development, and will focus on the connection between research and improved outcomes for children. Conference speakers will present the latest discoveries from cognitive neuroscience and experimental psychology regarding typical and atypical development of human learning and memory, emotion, and social behavior in the first few years of life. They will also explore socioeconomic, family, and nutritional factors that can affect brain and behavior. The conference will highlight educational practices, health and nutrition practices, applied research, and government policy with the potential for enhancing healthy brain development and improving outcomes for at-risk children.
This conference will feature a dedicated session: Spotlight on Nutrition and Brain Development, co-presented with The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science, a program of the New York Academy of Sciences.
Keynote Speaker
Thomas R. Insel, MD
National Institute of Mental Health
Public Lecture Information — Separate Registration Required
Registration for the associated Public Lecture, Baby Talk: Closing the Achievement Gap, Word by Word, on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 is free for Shaping the Developing Brain Conference registrants (Please see Agenda tab for a detailed schedule). However, separate pre-registration will be required. Ticket availability we be on a first come, first served basis. Conference registrants will receive a discount code via email to use during the registration process.
Registration Pricing
By 10/03/2014 | After 10/03/2014 | Onsite | |
Member | $295 | $350 | $395 |
Student/Postdoc Member | $195 | $250 | $295 |
Nonmember (Academia) | $395 | $450 | $495 |
Nonmember (Corporate) | $495 | $595 | $650 |
Nonmember (Non-profit) | $395 | $450 | $495 |
Nonmember (Student / Postdoc / Fellow) | $220 | $275 | $320 |
Registration includes a complimentary, one-year membership to the New York Academy of Sciences. Complimentary memberships are provided to non-members only and cannot be used to renew or extend existing or expiring memberships. A welcome email will be sent upon registration which will include your membership credentials.
Presented by
Session IV: Spotlight on Nutrition and Brain Development is co-presented with
Agenda
* Presentation titles and times are subject to change.
Day 1: Tuesday, November 11, Public LectureSeparate Registration Required – Free for Conference Registrants | |||||||
5:00 PM | Registration | ||||||
5:45 PM | Welcome and Introductory Remarks | ||||||
6:00 PM | Public Lecture:
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7:00 PM | Reception | ||||||
7:45 PM | Conference Adjourns | ||||||
Day 2: Wednesday, November 12 | |||||||
7:30 AM | Registration, Continental Breakfast, and Poster Session I Setup | ||||||
8:30 AM | Opening Remarks | ||||||
8:45 AM | Keynote Address | ||||||
Session I: Overview Lectures on Neural and Cognitive DevelopmentModerator: Michael K. Georgieff, MD, University of Minnesota School of Medicine | |||||||
9:30 AM | Mechanisms of Critical Period Brain Development | ||||||
10:00 AM | Transcriptional Landscape of the Developing Human Brain | ||||||
10:30 AM | New Tools to Investigate Brain Development | ||||||
11:00 AM | Networking Coffee Break | ||||||
11:30 AM | Language and the Developing Brain | ||||||
12:00 PM | Early Attachment, Emotional Development and Differential Susceptibility to Environmental Influences | ||||||
12:30 PM | Infant Neural Mirroring Mechanisms and Developing Social Cognition | ||||||
1:00 PM | Networking Lunch | ||||||
Session II: Social and Environmental Influences on Brain DevelopmentModerator: Catherine Monk, PhD, Columbia University | |||||||
2:30 PM | Maternal Stress Programming of Neurodeveopment: Placental Mechanisms | ||||||
2:55 PM | Role of Early Experience in Neuro-Affective Development | ||||||
3:20 PM | Impact of Poverty on the Developing Brain | ||||||
3:45 PM | Networking Coffee Break | ||||||
4:15 PM | Windows of Opportunity and Vulnerability: The First Years of Life | ||||||
4:40 PM | Panel Discussion | ||||||
Session III: Hot Topic Talks from Submitted AbstractsModerator: Joseph Dial, Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board, The Aspen Brain Forum Foundation | |||||||
5:05 PM | Examining the Relationships between Cortical Maturation and White Matter Myelination throughout Early Childhood | ||||||
5:20 PM | Western Diets during Gestation and Lactation: A Novel Model for Postpartum Depression and Developmental Programming? | ||||||
5:35 PM | Networking Reception and Poster Session I | ||||||
7:00 PM | Conference Adjourns | ||||||
Day 3: Thursday, November 13, Scientific Sessions | |||||||
7:45 AM | Poster Session II Setup | ||||||
7:45 AM | Continental Breakfast | ||||||
Sponsored Breakfast LecturesThese lectures are generously supported by Abbott Nutrition, Abbott Laboratories | |||||||
8:00 AM | The Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory (CNLM): A Public/Private Partnership Uncovering the Relationship between Nutrition and Cognitive Performance | ||||||
8:20 AM | Optimizing Assessment Tools for Determining Nutritional Enhancement of Learning and Memory | ||||||
Session IV: Spotlight on Nutrition and Brain DevelopmentThis session is co-presented with The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science at the New York Academy of Sciences Moderator: Mandana Arabi, MD, PhD, The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science | |||||||
9:00 AM | An Overview on Nutritional Status and Brain Development: The Importance of Timing in Determining the Right Intervention and Brain Assessment | ||||||
9:25 AM | Standardizing Growth and Nutritional Status Biomarkers and the Tools to Assess their Effects on Early Childhood Development | ||||||
9:50 AM | The Role of Micronutrients in Brain Development: The Most Useful Biomarkers that Relate to Optimal Childhood Development | ||||||
10:15 AM | Networking Coffee Break | ||||||
10:45 AM | Iron Deficiency and the Developing Brain: A Paradigm for Interdisciplinary Approaches to Nutritional Neuroscience | ||||||
11:10 AM | Panel Discussion | ||||||
Session V: Hot Topic Talks from Submitted AbstractsOrla M. Smith, PhD, Science Translational Medicine | |||||||
11:35 AM | Improved Water and Sanitation at the Community Level is Associated with Children's Performance on Tests of Receptive Vocabulary: Findings from the Young Lives Cohort Study | ||||||
11:50 AM | Effects of a Responsive Caregiving Intervention on Executive Function | ||||||
12:05 PM | Networking Lunch and Poster Session II | ||||||
Session VI: Translating Research into Intervention, Education, and PolicyModerator: Susan Magsamen, MS, Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Science of Learning Institute, Johns Hopkins University; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | |||||||
1:30 PM | Brain and Behavior Development in Infants at High Risk for Autism | ||||||
1:55 PM | Translating the Neuroscience of Parenting into Interventions for Parents: Minding the Baby | ||||||
2:20 PM | Intervention to Help Close the Word Gap | ||||||
2:45 PM | Building Early Childhood Systems: Advancing Quality, Equity, and Sustainability | ||||||
3:10 PM | Panel Discussion | ||||||
3:35 PM | Networking Coffee Break | ||||||
Panel and Audience Discussion | |||||||
4:05 PM | How to Shape Policy to Address Multiple Adversities in Early Childhood Development
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4:45 PM | Closing Remarks | ||||||
5:00 PM | Conference Concludes |
Speakers
Keynote Speaker
Thomas R. Insel, MD
National Institute of Mental Health
Scientific Organizing Committee
Mandana Arabi, MD, PhD
The Sackler Institute for Nutrition Science
Melanie Brickman Stynes, PhD, MSc
The New York Academy of Sciences
Joseph Dial
Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board
The Aspen Brain Forum Foundation
website
Michael Georgieff, MD
University of Minnesota
website
Katrina L. Kelner, PhD
Science Translational Medicine
website
Susan Magsamen, MS
Brain Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Science of Learning Institute, Johns Hopkins University; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
website
Melinda Miller, PhD
The New York Academy of Sciences
Catherine Monk, PhD
Columbia University
website
Orla M. Smith, PhD
Science Translational Medicine
website
Speakers
Tracy L. Bale, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Jay Belsky, PhD
University of California, Davis
Maureen Black, PhD
University of Maryland
Pia Britto, PhD
UNICEF
Serena Counsell, PhD
King's College London
Martha Farah, PhD
University of Pennsylvania
Edward Frongillo, PhD
University of South Carolina
Michael Georgieff, MD
University of Minnesota
Takao Hensch, PhD
Harvard University
Sharon Lynn Kagan, EdD
Columbia University
Patricia Kuhl, PhD
Washington University
Ed Lein, PhD
Allen Institute for Brain Science
Michael H. Levine, PhD
Executive Director, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop
website
Betsy Lozoff, MD
University of Michigan
Linda Mayes, MD
Yale School of Medicine
Andrew N. Meltzoff, PhD
Washington University
Patti Miller, MA
Director, Too Small to Fail Initiative for the Clinton Foundation
website
Charles A. Nelson, PhD
Harvard University and Boston Children's Hospital
James M. Perrin, MD
MassGeneral Hospital for Children; Harvard Medical School; American Academy of Pediatrics
Joseph Piven, MD
UNC School of Medicine, CIDD
Dana Suskind, MD
University of Chicago
Nim Tottenham, PhD
UCLA
Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Academy Friend
Promotional Partners
American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Neurological Association
Autism and Related Disorders: From Bench to Bed, Sept 5-8
Society for Research in Child Development
World Association for Infant Mental Health
Presented by
Session IV: Spotlight on Nutrition and Brain Development is co-presented with
Abstracts
Day 2 — November 12, 2014
Keynote Address
How Will We Map Neurodevelopment?
Thomas R. Insel, MD, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Session I: Overview Lectures on Neural and Cognitive Development
Mechanisms of Critical Period Brain Development
Takao K. Hensch, PhD, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Transcriptional Landscape of the Developing Human Brain
Ed S. Lein, PhD, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, Washington, United States
New Tools to Investigate Brain Development
Serena J. Counsell, PhD, Gareth Ball, PhD, and A. David Edwards, FRCP, Centre for the Developing Brain, King’s College London, London, England
Session II: Social and Environmental Influences on Brain Development
Language and the Developing Brain
Patricia K. Kuhl, PhD, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States
Early Attachment, Emotional Development and Differential Susceptibility to Environmental Influences
Jay Belsky, PhD, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States
Infant Neural Mirroring Mechanisms and Developing Social Cognition
Andrew N. Meltzoff, PhD, Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States
Coauthor: Peter J. Marshall, PhD, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Session II: Social and Environmental Influences on Brain Development
Maternal Stress Programming of Neurodevelopment: Placental Mechanisms
Tracy L. Bale, PhD, and Christopher Howerton, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Role of Early Experience in Neuro-Affective Development
Nim Tottenham, PhD, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States
Impact of Poverty on the Developing Brain
Martha J. Farah, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Windows of Opportunity and Vulnerability: The First Years of Life
Charles A. Nelson III, PhD, Harvard Medical School/Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Center on the Developing Child, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Session III: Hot Topic Talks from Submitted Abstracts
Examining the Relationships between Cortical Maturation and White Matter Myelination throughout Early Childhood
Elise C. Croteau-Chonka1
Coauthors: Sean C. L. Deoni, PhD1, Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh, PhD2, Holly Dirks, BSc1, and Doug C. Dean III, PhD3
1. Brown University School of Engineering, Providence, Rhode Island, United States
2. King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom
3. Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Western Diets during Gestation and Lactation: A Novel Model for Postpartum Depression and Developmental Programming?
Jessica L. Bolton, BS1
Coauthors: Leigh Ann Simmons, PhD2, Melanie Wiley, BS1, Bailey Ryan1, Samantha Truong1, and Staci D. Bilbo, PhD1
1. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States;
2. Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina, United States
Travel & Lodging
Our Location
The New York Academy of Sciences
7 World Trade Center
250 Greenwich Street, 40th floor
New York, NY 10007-2157
212.298.8600
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Phone: 212.577.1133
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