The infant team at DCAN lab is studying maternal wellbeing, environmental impact on childhood outcomes, and infant brain development.

 The infant team at DCAN Lab, led by Dr. Alice Graham, is currently doing research on infant brain development, environmental influences on child health outcomes, and maternal well-being. If you would like to participate in The Roo Study on Mom and Baby Well-Being, you can find more information here. 

Ongoing Research

The Roo Study on Mom and Baby Well-Being

The Roo Study examines potential effects of a mindfulness intervention, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), during pregnancy. MBCT connects women with training in skills that promote well-being, reduce mood symptoms, and improve emotional responding during pregnancy and postpartum. We collect data on mental stress and well-being during pregnancy, as well as infant brain development and well-being postpartum. We examine infant brain development with an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). This data will provide important information on mood and stress during pregnancy, and how it relates to infant brain development. 

Funded by NIMH and Medical Research Foundation of Oregon.

To learn more about this study or to see if you may be eligible to participate, call the INSPIRE Lab at 503-494-4476, or e-mail maternalwellbeing@ohsu.edu.

Maternal Wellbeing Study

We are collaborating with Kristen Mackiewicz Seghete on this study to examine a stress reduction intervention during pregnancy.

Postpartum depression is a major public health concern, with consequences that can be enduring for women and their children. However, few evidence-based preventative interventions are available for women at high risk for developing postpartum depression.

The focus of the Maternal Well-Being Study is to connect women with training in skills that promote well-being, reduce mood symptoms, and improve emotional responding during pregnancy and postpartum. We are currently using neuroimaging (Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI) to examine how a mindfulness-based intervention, MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy), for pregnant women who may be at heightened risk for developing depressive symptoms may work to reduce mood symptoms postpartum. 

Learn more about the study on our FAQ page.

Funded by the NIH (1R21AT010292-01) and Medical Research Foundation of Oregon.

To learn more about this study or to see if you may be eligible to participate, call the SCAN Lab at (503) 494 - 4476, or e-mail maternalwellbeing@ohsu.edu.

Infant Brain Development Study

This study focuses on examining functional brain systems in the newborn period. We are employing cutting edge methods and developing tools to characterize how the brain is organized shortly after birth. In addition to advancing understanding of how brain systems are organized in early infancy, this project seeks to identify individual differences in these early patterns of organization that may be relevant for ongoing development and later health outcomes.  

Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO Study)

This study involves a collaboration with several different institutions including the University of California, Irvine, University of Rochester, and the University of Pittsburgh. The study focuses on several unique longitudinal cohorts being followed from the prenatal period through early childhood. Our role in the study focuses on examining infant and child functional brain development in relation to the pre- and postnatal environment, and long term mental and physical health outcomes.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Maternal Wellbeing Study

We are collaborating with Kristen Mackiewicz Seghete on this study to examine a stress reduction intervention during pregnancy. We are interested in whether psychosocial intervention during pregnancy can influence developing fetal brain systems, as well as maternal brain functioning, in a manner that supports healthy infant development and mother-infant bonding.

Key Collaborators

Some of the key research collaborators in our infant studies include:

Claudia Buss, University of California, Irvine and Charité, University of Medicine, Berlin
Jerod Rasmussen, University of California, Irvine
Kristen Mackiewicz Seghete, OHSU
OHSU SCAN Lab Team
Joel Nigg, OHSU
Chris Smyser, Washington University St. Louis
Cynthia Rogers, Washington University St. Louis
Phil Fisher, University of Oregon