How do early exposures become lifelong biology?

Findings from controlled models are most useful when they can be evaluated alongside patterns observed in people. We use existing human datasets to ask whether behavioral and biological outcomes identified in our preclinical studies are also associated with comparable developmental exposure histories in human populations. By looking for convergence across behavior, gene activity, protein expression, and brain function, we can identify findings with the greatest translational relevance while also recognizing where the complexity of human experiences is not fully captured by current models. This work will help us refine our experimental models, identify outcomes that may warrant closer assessment or additional support, and prioritize targets for future prevention and intervention research.

We use carefully controlled mouse models to determine how exposure combinations, exposure timing, and maternal, paternal, or dual-parent exposures influence development. We follow offspring through adulthood and integrate behavioral testing with molecular and proteomic analyses, transcriptomics, and electrophysiology to connect long-term outcomes with changes in brain cells, synapses, and circuits. Across these studies, we examine both shared and sex-dependent responses to developmental exposures.

We conduct secondary analyses of existing human datasets containing information about developmental exposures, substance use, behavior, health, and biological variation. Depending on the available data, we use multivariable and longitudinal models to examine exposure–outcome relationships, conduct sex-stratified analyses, and analyze genomic or transcriptomic data to identify associated genes, gene networks, and biological pathways. We then compare these patterns with behavioral, molecular, and neural findings from our preclinical studies, focusing on convergence across related outcomes and pathways rather than requiring identical measurements across species.