Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Bridging the gap between neuroscientific and psychodynamic models in child and adolescent psychiatry
Xenia Protopopescu1, Andrew J Gerber
1Department of Psychiatry, New York University, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Abstract:
This article provides a selective review of the neuroscience and child-psychoanalytic literature, focusing on areas of significant overlap and emphasizing comprehensive theories in developmental neuroscience and child psychoanalysis with testable mechanisms of action. Topics include molecular biology and genetics findings relevant to psychotherapy research, neuroimaging findings relevant to psychotherapy, brain regions of interest for psychotherapy, neurobiologic changes caused by psychotherapy, use of neuroimaging to predict treatment outcome, and schemas as a bridging concept between psychodynamic and cognitive neuroscience models. The combined efforts of neuroscientists and psychodynamic clinicians and theorists are needed to unravel the mechanisms of human mental functioning.
Related Concept Videos
Psychodynamic Therapy
Modeling in Therapy
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in situations...
Theoretical Approaches to Psychological Disorder
Biological approach
The biological approach posits that internal, organic factors are the primary causes of such disorders. This perspective emphasizes brain structure and function, genetic predispositions, and neurotransmitter imbalances. For example, schizophrenia has been associated with both genetic...
Psychodynamic Perspectives on Personality
Psychodynamic theorists argue that unconscious...
Psychosexual Theory of Development
The Five Stages of Psychosexual Development
Freud's psychosexual...
Introduction to Biological Bases of Psychology
The nervous system, the cornerstone of...

