Assistant Professor
Area: Clinical
Contact Information
Email: nestorl@umich.edu
Psychology Office: 2253 East Hall
Psychology Phone: 734-936-5819
Research and Teaching Interests
Research and Teaching Interests:
My primary research interests center on affective neuroendocrinology and child/adolescent depression. I'm ultimately interested in understanding the core bio-cognitive and affective mechanisms that underlie the disease process itself, and exploring how these mechanisms differ from etiological or 'risk' factors. Specifically, together with my students at the newly created Michigan Psychoneuroendocrinology Affective Laboratory (Michigan PAL), we are pursuing three interrelated lines of research. First, we are exploring the mechanisms behind the endocrine dysregulation observed in some depressed and at-risk children and adolescents. In doing so, we seek to determine 1) whether endocrine dysregulation is a risk factor for childhood depression, a consequence of depression, or a representation (core component) of the disease process, and 2) how endocrine dysregulation in depression differs from the type of dysregulation observed in anxiety and other mood disorders. Second, we are attempting to identify the endocrine, cognitive, and affective processes that may signal a "prodromal" phase of childhood depression. To this end, we are examining changes in endocrine and affective processes that occur prior to the onset of the first major depressive episode in children and adolescents. Finally, we work in collaboration with Dr. Marika Kovacs at the University of Pittsburgh Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic on a large intergenerational study of the role of physiological and cognitive inflexibility in the development of childhood-onset depression.
Prospective Graduate Students:
Thank you for your interest in my work. Unfortunately, I will not be recruiting graduate students during the upcoming admissions cycle (December 2011 applications for 2012 admissions).
Recent Publications:
Lopez-Duran, N. L., Nusslock, R., Kovacs, M., & George, C.J (Under Review). Frontal EEG asymmetry moderates the effects of stressful life events on internalizing symptoms in children at familial risk for depression.
Lopez-Duran, N.L., Kovacs, M., George, C. J, Dempster, A. (Under Review). The vasopressin receptor V1b gene (AVPR1B), infant stress, and symptom severity in child depression.
Olino, T.M., Lopez-Duran, N.L., Kovacs, M., George, G.J., Gentzler, A.L., Shaw, D.S. (In Press) Developmental trajectories of positive and negative affect in high and low familial risk for depression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Olson, S. L., Lopez-Duran, N. L., Lunkenheimer, E.S., Chang, H. & Sameroff, A.J. (In Press). Individual Differences in the Development of Early Peer Aggression: Integrating Contributions of Self-Regulation, Theory of Mind, and Parenting. Developmental Psychopathology.
Kovacs, M. & Lopez-Duran, N.L. (2010). Prodromal symptoms and atypical affectivity as predictors of major depression in juveniles: implications for prevention. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(4), 472-496.
Lopez-Duran N. L., Kovacs, M. & George, C. (2009). Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis dysregulation in depressed children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 34(9), 1272-1283
Lopez-Duran, N. L., Hajal, N. J., Olson, S. L., Felt, B., & Vazquez, D. M. (2009). Individual differences in salivary cortisol response to fear and frustration in children: A methodological examination of peak timing and stress modality. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 103(3), 285-295.
Baji, I., Lopez-Duran, N. L. *, Kovacs, M., George, C., László, M. L., Kapornai, k., Kiss, E., & Vetro, A., (2009). Age, sex, somatic complaints, and the symptom presentation of childhood depression in a Hungarian clinical sample. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 70(10), 1467-72 (*Corresponding Author)
László Mayer, L., Lopez-Duran, N. L.*, Kovacs, M., George, C., Baji, I., Kapornai, k., Kiss, E., & Vetro, A. (2009). Stressful life events in a clinical sample of depressed children in Hungary. Journal of Affective Disorders. 115(1-2), 207-214. (*Corresponding Author)
Lopez-Duran, N. L., Hajal, N. J., Olson, S. L., Felt, B., & Vazquez, D. M. (2009). Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis functioning in reactive and proactive aggression in children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37(2), 169-182.
Lopez, N. L., Vazquez, M., Felt, B., Olson, S. L. (2009). An integrative approach to the neurophysiology of emotion regulation. In S.L. Olson and A.J. Sameroff (Eds), Regulatory processes in the development of behavior problems: Biological, behavioral, and social interactions. Cambridge University Press.
