Home Department: Computer Science
Mentor: Ian Gotlib (Psychology)

"Mapping Stress-Brain Pathways: Multimodal MRI and Canonical Correlation Analysis to Predict Youth Psychopathology"

Children experience many forms of early adversity, including inconsistent caregiving, socioeconomic hardship, and environmental stressors. Different stressors are posited to shape brain development through distinct pathways, but little research has examined this formulation. Here Kaitlyn will apply sparse generalized canonical correlation analysis (sgCCA) to link domains of stress with features extracted from multimodal MRI scans. After identifying stress-brain patterns, Kaitlyn will test whether these components predict subsequent anxiety and depression. By elucidating how specific constellations of stress and brain features shape mental health trajectories, this project will inform the development of more personalized prevention and intervention approaches for at-risk youth.