Faculty

Cecile D Ladouceur, PhD

Cecile D Ladouceur, PhD

Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology

Contact Details

3811 O'Hara St.
Pittsburgh
 
PA
 
15213
Email
Website
CAND Lab
Assistant
Lisa Walker
walkerlm2@upmc.edu

Education & Training

PhD
Clinical and Developmental Psychology, University of Quebec in Montreal
Clinical Psychology, Douglas Hospital, Division of Psychiatry
Neuropsychology, Ste-Justine Children's Hospital
Developmental Affective Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh

Professional Affiliations

Member, Association for Psychological Science
Member, Society of Biological Psychiatry
Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology

Selected Honors & Awards

Membership, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Fellow, Association for Psychological Science
Young Investigator Award, Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Research Interests

Neurodevelopment of emotion regulation; Puberty and adolescent brain development; Anxiety and mood disorders
Selected Research Publications & Products
  1. Ladouceur CD, Kerestes R, Schlund MW, Shirtcliff EA, Lee Y, Dahl RE. Neural systems underlying reward cue processing in early adolescence: the role of puberty and pubertal hormones. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019 102:281-291. PMID: 30639923; PMCID: PMC7085287
  2. Ladouceur CD, Schlund MW, Segreti AM. Positive reinforcement modulates fronto-limbic systems subserving emotional interference in adolescents. Behavioural Brain Research. 2018 15;338:109-117. PMID: 29079512; PMCID: PMC6338073
  3. Ladouceur CD, Tan P, Sharma V, Bylsma L, Silk J, Siegle G, Forbes E, McMakin DL, Dahl RE, Kendall PC, Mannarino A, Ryan ND. Error-related brain activity in pediatric anxiety disorders remains elevated following individual therapy: a randomized clinical trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 2018 59(11):1152-1161. PMID: 29603219; PMCID: PMC6165715
  4. Ladouceur CD, Diwadkar V, White R., Bass J., Birmaher B, Axelson DA, Phillips ML. Fronto-limbic function in unaffected offspring at familial risk for bipolar disorder during an emotional working memory paradigm. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. 2013 5:185-196. PMID: 23590840; PMCID: PMC3676715
  5. Ladouceur CD. Neural systems supporting cognitive affective interactions in adolescence: The role of puberty and implications for affective disorders. Frontiers of Integrative Neuroscience. 2012 6(65):1-11. doi:10.3389/fnint.2012.00065. PMID: 22969712

Clinical Interests

Pediatric anxiety disorders; Pediatric mood disorders; Risk for affective disorders in adolescence

Education Interests

Research mentorship; Career development; Leadership

Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience Neuroimaging - Altered Lateral Prefrontal Cortex Functioning During Emotional Interference Resistance Is Associated with Affect Lability in Adults with Persisting Symptoms of ADHD from Childhood

Drs. Cecile Ladouceur and Brooke Molina

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), characterized by inattention and/or impulsivity/hyperactivity, can include emotional dysregulation (such as affect lability), especially when symptoms persist into adulthood. Some individuals with ADHD have trouble with modulating attention in the context of goal-directed behavior. They may perform significantly worse on cognitive tasks, relative to those without...

The Developmental Affective Neuroscience Symposium: Presenting Translational Research in Developmental Psychopathology

The Developmental Affective Neuroscience Symposium Collage

The Developmental Affective Neuroscience Symposium (DANS) presents recent translational research in developmental psychopathology. The 2023 DANS theme was “ Neurodevelopment of Regulatory Systems: A Focus on Emotions and Motivation,” featuring research focused on the development of neural networks and circuitries implicated in regulating or modulating neural response to emotionally or motivationally salient...

The Department of Psychiatry’s Biggest-Ever Research Day

2023 Pitt Psychiatry Research Day Session

The 21st annual Department of Psychiatry Research Day, held on June 8, 2023 was the biggest Research Day ever, attended by more than 500 faculty members, trainees, and staff, and featuring 160 posters at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.   Lunchtime roundtables followed the morning poster session. More than 250 participants joined one of 30 roundtable discussion groups...

Cecile Ladouceur, PhD, Elected to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation Scientific Council

Dr. Cecile Ladouceur

We are pleased to announce that Cecile Ladouceur, PhD (Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology), has been elected to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) Scientific Council. The BBRF is the top non-governmental funder of mental health research grants. The Scientific Council reviews and selects the most promising research proposals with the greatest potential to lead to breakthroughs in mental health...

Avoidance Bias to Angry Faces Predicts Development of Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls

Dr. Mary Woody

Adolescence is a sensitive window for the development of depressive and social anxiety disorders, particularly among girls. Models of depression and social anxiety suggest that individuals with or at high risk for these conditions may exhibit interpersonal behaviors in early adolescence—such as social avoidance and withdrawal—that can evoke negative reactions from others and lead teens to miss out on potential...