9/30/25 Meredith Gruhn: Childhood Adversity and Adolescent Stress Responses: Neurobiological and Psychosocial Pathways
Clinical brown bag
Meredith Gruhn, PhD
Assistant Professor | Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 12:00- 1:00pm
Location: 316 Wilson Hall
Childhood Adversity and Adolescent Stress Responses: Neurobiological and Psychosocial Pathways
Childhood adversity is associated with heightened risk for psychopathology, yet the underlying pathways may differ depending on the nature of adversity. In this talk, I will present findings examining how threat and deprivation uniquely shape adolescent responses to stress. Using fMRI, psychophysiology, cortisol, and self-report, we compare patterns of neurobiological activation and autonomic reactivity during emotional challenges. Results highlight that threat exposure is linked to heightened salience network activation and increased autonomic arousal, while deprivation is more closely tied to alterations in cognitive control networks. I also discuss psychosocial correlates, including differences in emotion experiences and coping responses across adversity types. Together, these findings illustrate how distinct forms of adversity calibrate stress response systems in adolescence, with implications for understanding trajectories of risk and resilience.