Julie Andrews

2009 Young Investigator Award Winner

Julie Andrews, Master’s in Neuroscience / Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Hospital Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, CANADA

Julie Andrews’ main research interest focuses on interindividual differences in stress reactivity, with an emphasis on sex and personality factors. Sex differences in stress reactivity are receiving increasing attention because of the sexual dichotomy in many stress-related mental health disorders, e.g. depression. Additionally, it is known that suicide is the second leading cause of death among teenage girls. During adolescence, teenagers are at increased risk of various other mental diagnoses, including depression, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors. Many of these diagnoses are associated with a dysregulation of the main endocrine stress system, the Hypothalamic-Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) axis. This axis is activated by psychological stress and releases cortisol, the stress hormone. The teenage years are also associated with emotional extremes. These states may lead to exaggerated HPA responses, particularly in teens with low self-esteem or inadequate parental care. Julie Andrews’ research will thus investigate sex differences in stress reactivity in teens and will aim at identifying adolescents with an increased sensitivity to psychological stress to identify teenagers at risk for negative health outcomes.