Early Environment & Adult Resiliency Lab

Welcome to the Early Environment & Adult Resiliency (EEAR) Lab housed at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Research

We are mainly interested in how factors in the environment (e.g., diet, stress exposure) exert permanent 'programming' effects early in life. We study the effects of these factors on parents and offspring brain and behaviour with a particular interest in stress responding and disorders that are related to stress responding (e.g., anxiety, depression). The results of our research provide important information about what makes some individuals resilient to stress while others remain vulnerable.

Latest Research Presented

In August 2022 we attended the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) World Congress and presented our work

Myles, E, O’Leary, ME, & Perrot, TS (August 2022) Sex-specific metabolic- and anxiety-related outcomes of a probiotic and western diet in a rat model. Developmental Origins of Health and Disease World Congress, Vancouver, BC

O’Leary, ME, Myles, E, & Perrot, TS (August 2022) Probiotic treatment and diet affect maternal care, inflammation, and offspring stress response in Long-Evans rats. Developmental Origins of Health and Disease World Congress, Vancouver, BC

Korgan, AC, Foxx, CL, Hashmi, H, Sago, SA, Stamper, CE, Heinze, JD, O’Leary, E, King, JL, Perrot, TS, Lowry, CA, & Weaver, ICG (August 2022) Effects of paternal high-fat diet and maternal rearing environment on the microbiota-gut-brain axis and behavior. Developmental Origins of Health and Disease World Congress, Vancouver, BC