Event Details


Registration Not Required

POSTPONED: Kennedy Center Lectures on Development and Developmental Disabilities: "Neurocognitive Mechanisms in Parenting and Addiction"

Date: April 20, 2020

Time: 4:10PM to 5:10PM

Location: Room 241, One Magnolia Circle Building, Vanderbilt University


This lecture has been postponed until further notice.

Neurocognitive Mechanisms in Parenting and Addiction

Monday, Apr. 20, 2020, 4:10-5:10 p.m.
Room 241, One Magnolia Circle Building, Vanderbilt University

Linda C. Mayes, M.D., Arnold Gesell Professor and Chair, Yale Child Study Center, Yale University

In this talk, we will explore how early stress and adversity impacts attachment as well as developing stress-reward systems. Impaired stress regulation, a hallmark of insecure or dysregulated attachment, increases the risk for addiction and other maladaptive behaviors intended to help individuals manage their stress. In the instance of parenting, the stress of caring for an infant may be especially compromising for individuals with impaired stress regulation and increase the likelihood of their turning to drugs rather than to their infant. This in turn impacts the parent-child relationship and may perpetuate an intergenerational risk for addiction and related disorders. We will explore how dyadic treatments may be especially effective for the parent-infant relationship as well as for the adult's relationship to and use of drugs.

For more information, call (615) 322-8240.


For accessibility information or to request an accommodation

Contact kc@vumc.org or 615-322-8240 for disability access information; 2 weeks advance notice is recommended for some accommodations (e.g., Braille, signing).