Elysia Poggi Davis
Associate Professor, Developmental and DCN

The multidisciplinary research that is conducted in my lab examines biological and social/behavioral processes in human pregnancy and in fetal, infant and child development. This research is addresses a major health issue involving the role of early experiences in determining the risk for health and disease across the lifespan.  Specifically, my program of research evaluates the way that prenatal exposure to maternal psychosocial stress and stress hormones is incorporated into the developmental program and the influence this has on adaptation to the postnatal world. I have used two complementary approaches to evaluate the influence of prenatal stress and stress hormones for development.  The first approach evaluates the effects of prenatal exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids and the second identifies the consequences of natural variations in maternal psychosocial stress and stress hormones.  These projects, supported by grants from NICHD and NIMH, investigate the role that prenatal exposure to stress and stress hormones play in determining individual differences in stress and emotional regulation, cognitive functioning and brain development.

Prenatal Exposure to Glucocorticoids has Persisting Consequences for Development

One of the primary ongoing projects is a 5 year study designed to identify individuals who are vulnerable to glucocorticoid treatment, a standard of care for women in preterm labor.  This prospective longitudinal study involves evaluation of stress and reproductive hormones during the prenatal period, birth outcome and infant development. 

Prenatal Exposure to Maternal Stress and Stress Hormones Influences Infant and Child Development

These projects evaluate the impact of naturally occurring individual variations in prenatal maternal psychosocial stress and stress hormones exposures on fetal, infant and child development.  Prospective evaluations of pregnant women and their infants and children determine the influence of prenatal stress exposures on cognitive functioning, temperament and stress regulation.

The Synergistic Relation between the Prenatal and the Early Postnatal Environment

Several ongoing projects include the evaluation of the joint role of the prenatal and the early postnatal environment in the determination of child health and development.  This research assesses the synergistic influence of prenatal stress and postnatal experiences on development.  These data will address important questions such as: “Can high quality maternal care ameliorate the negative effects of prenatal stress?” and “Does the prenatal environment prepare the infant for functioning in the postnatal world?”

Prenatal Influences on Child Brain Development

Rapid changes in the developing fetal brain render it vulnerable to both organizing and disorganizing influences.  Current research evaluates the consequences prenatal influences such as synthetic glucocorticoids exposure, maternal stress, and maternal infection for child brain development (evaluated with structural MRI and DTI).

Student Opportunities

Students working in my lab have the opportunity to learn about the role the prenatal and the early postnatal environment plays in determining individual differences in health and development, including both biological and psychological processes.  Students may participate in data collection from women and infants at medical centers and will learn to conduct developmental assessments with infants and young children.   Opportunities exist to participate in ongoing studies, to analyze existing data and to develop independent research projects.

Selected Recent Publications

Davis, E.P. & Sandman, C.A. (2010). The timing of prenatal exposure to maternal cortisol and psychosocial stress is associated with human infant cognitive development. Child Development, 81 (1), 131-138.

Sandman, C.A. & Davis, E.P. (2010). The impact of gestational stress on infant cognition and behavior.  Future Neurology, 5(5), 675-690.

Davis, E.P., Glynn, L.M., Waffarn, F. & Sandman, C.A. (2011).  Prenatal maternal stress programs infant stress regulation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(2), 119-129.

Davis, E.P., Waffarn, F. & Sandman, C.A. (2011). Prenatal exposure to synthetic glucocorticoids impairs stress regulation among healthy full term infants. Developmental Psychobiology, 53(2), 175-183.

Davis, E.P., Buss, C., Muftuler, T., Head, K., Hasso, A. Wing, D.A., Hobel, C. & Sandman, C.A. (2011).  Children’s brain development benefits from longer gestation. Frontiers in Psychology. 2, 1-7.

Muftuler, L.T., Davis, E.P., Buss, C., Head, K., Hasso, A. & Sandman, C.A. (2011). Cortical and subcortical changes in typically developing preadolescent children. Brain Research, 1399, 15-24.

Hatfield, T.*, Wing, D.A., Buss, C., Muftuler, L.T., Head, K. & Davis, E.P. (2011). Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrates long term changes in brain structure in children born preterm and exposed to chorioamnionitis. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. 205(4): 384 e1-384 e8.

Blair, M. M.*, Glynn, L.M., Sandman, C.A. & Davis, E.P. (2011).  Prenatal maternal anxiety and early childhood temperament. Stress. 14(6): 644-51

Buss, C., Davis, E.P., Hobel, C. & Sandman, C.A. (2011). Maternal pregnancy anxiety influences cognitive functioning at 6 to 9 years of age. Stress. 14(6): 665–676

Sandman, C.A., Davis E.P., & Glynn, L.M. (in press). Prescient human fetuses thrive. Psychological Science.

Elysia Poggi Davis
Associate Professor, Developmental and DCN