Laurel Gabard-Durnam

Laurel Gabard-Durnam

Assistant Professor

Expertise:

  • Adversity, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emotion Regulation, Evelopmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Language, Neuroplasticity, Sensitive Periods, Socioemotional Development

About Laurel Gabard-Durnam

Dr. Laurel Gabard-Durnam is the director of PINE Lab and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University. She received a B.A. in Neurobiology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital prior to starting PINE Lab. Dr. Gabard-Durnam is a developmental cognitive neuroscientist whose research explores how different environments and neuroplasticity interact to shape brain and behavior development. She is interested in how typical environment-neuroplasticity interactions support healthy development, as well as how adverse environments or atypical neuroplasticity processes in neurodevelopmental disorders impact development. Using this framework, she aims to understand the developmental mechanisms driving healthy, resilient, or maladaptive outcomes across individuals. She works across, and compares, multiple socioemotional domains, including perception, language, and emotion regulation. Dr. Gabard-Durnam’s research program has been supported by funding from The National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome Leap Program, and the Autism Science Foundation.

Institutes, Labs & Research Centers
Center for Cognitive and Brain Health
Psychology

The Center investigates the effects of lifestyle choices and health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, diet) and their physiological sequelae (e.g., fitness, adiposity) on brain and cognition. From a neuroimaging perspective, the researchers’ interests lie in understanding how health influences brain and behavior as it relates to increased health and effective functioning for individuals across the lifespan.

Plasticity in Neurodevelopment Lab
Psychology

The Plasticity in Neurodevelopment (PINE) Lab explores how different environments and neuroplasticity interact to shape brain and behavior development. We are interested in how typical environment-neuroplasticity interactions support healthy development, as well as how adverse environments or atypical neuroplasticity processes in neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism impact development. Using this framework, we aim to understand the developmental mechanisms driving healthy, resilient, or maladaptive outcomes across individuals. We work across, and compare, multiple socioemotional domains, including perception, language, and emotion regulation.

Publications:

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