Lisa Kopp

My research expertise and interests are in the area of developmental neuroscience of psychopathology. I am particularly interested in how children develop behavior problems such as aggression, hyperactivity, and substance abuse.  Research has shown that such problems likely evolve when innate vulnerability interacts with environmental stressors.  Understanding the neurobiological dysfunction that contributes to this vulnerability informs the identification of experiential and environmental factors that exacerbate or ameliorate risk.  Identification of these factors positions researchers, and eventually policy makers, to implement changes in the environment that may alter these trajectories and improve developmental outcomes.