My work aims to identify neurocognitive and psychological aspects related to the development of vulnerability and resilience, particularly during periods of heightened sensitivity and plasticity. I use a combination of behavioral, neural (functional and structural MRI) and physiological techniques to investigate processes such as emotion control, stress and threat reactivity, and the impact of steriod hormones (e.g., testosterone, estrodial) on neuro-maturation and mental well-being.
The focus of my research is to investigate how steroid hormones impact neural circuits underling emotion regulation and cognition in both males and females – in terms of small scale (weeks) and large scale (years) changes. An important aspect of these investigations is isolating markers associated with alternations in neurocognitive and hormonal trajectories in adolescence and young adulthood. As part of this research, I collaborate with the Nijmegen Longitudinal Study on Infant and Child Development (NLS), which has followed children and their families since infancy.
Selected Publications:
Tyborowska, A., Volman, I.A.C., Niermann, H.C.M., Dapprich, A.L., Smeekens, S., Cillessen, A.H.N., Toni, I. & Roelofs, K. (2024). Developmental shift in testosterone influence on prefrontal emotion control. Developmental Science, 27 (1):e13415. doi.org/10.1111/desc.13415
Tyborowska, A., Volman, I.A.C., Niermann, H.C.M., Pouwels, J.L., Smeekens, S., Cillessen, A.H.N., Toni, I. & Roelofs, K. (2018). Early-life and pubertal stress differentially modulate grey matter development in human adolescents. Scientific Reports, 8:9201. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-27439-5
Tyborowska, A., Volman, I., Smeekens, S., Toni, I., & Roelofs, K. (2016). Testosterone during puberty shifts emotional control from pulvinar to anterior prefrontal cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 36(23), 6156-6164. doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3874-15.2016
Alonso, S.*, Tyborowska, A.*, Ikani, N., Mocking, R.J., Figueroa, C.A., Schene, A.H., Deco, G., Kringelbach, M.L., Cabral, J. & Ruhe, H.G. (2023). Depression recurrence is accompanied by longer periods in default mode and more frequent attentional and reward processing dynamic brain-states during resting-state activity. Human Brain Mapping. doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26475
Tyborowska, A., van den Berg, Y., Hashemi, M., Niermann, H.C.M., Cillessen, A.H.N., Toni, I., Roelofs, K. (2023). Neural patterns of threat response in adolescents predict vulnerability for and resilience against internalizing symptoms during COVID-19 waves. Neuroimage: Reports, 3(3), 100177. doi.org/10.1016/j.ynirp.2023.100177