Environment, Brain, and Behavior (EBB) Lab
The Environment, Brain, and Behavior (EBB) Lab for Developmental Visual-Spatial and Learning Disorders is located in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Directed by Dr. Amy Margolis, the EBB lab studies the neurobiology of Non-Verbal Learning Disorder and how exposure to neurotoxic chemicals may affect neurodevelopment and manifest as learning and social problems. The EBB Lab uses neuroimaging to identify biomarkers of exposure to neurotoxicants and aid in the development of prevention and intervention programs to improve children's health outcomes.
Recently Published Work
Prenatal exposure to air pollution and maternal stress predict infant individual differences in reactivity and regulation and socioemotional development
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Greater levels of prenatal exposure to PAH predicted lower orienting/regulation when maternal stress was high
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Higher prenatal exposure to PAH predicted lower surgency (positive emotional reactivity) at 4 months, which in turn predicted more behavioral problems at 12 months
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Negative affect positively predicted infant behavioral problems at 12 months, but was not predicted by PAH exposure​
Ran Liu, Mariah DeSerisy, Nathan A. Fox, Julie B. Herbstman, Virginia A. Rauh, Beatrice Beebe, Amy E. Margolis Prenatal exposure to air pollution and maternal stress predict infant individual differences in reactivity and regulation and socioemotional development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure alters children’s cognitive control circuitry: A preliminary study
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Prenatal environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increases risk for attention problems.
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The neurobiological effects of prenatal ETS are unknown.
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Prenatal ETS alters the structure and function of frontostriatal control circuitry.
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Smaller thalamic volume mediated effects of exposure on attention problems.
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ETS and smoking in pregnancy confer similar risk on brain structure and behavior.
Margolis AE, Pagliaccio D, Ramphal B, Banker S, Thomas L, Robinson M, Honda M, Sussman T, Posner J, Kannan K, Herbstman J, Rauh V, Marsh R Prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure alters children’s cognitive control circuitry: A preliminary study. Environment International, 155.
In the Media
See Dr. Margolis featured in "The Disruptors", a documentary about ADHD!​
See Dr. Margolis featured on the Today Show to talk about the NVLD Project!​