Dr Liat Levita
Imaging and modelling adolescent neurodevelopment: mechanisms underlying resilience and adverse outcomeseuroscience of adolescent development and mental health
I run the iRise – Adolescent Developmental Neuroscience lab – Join us! Do can in touch to discuss your interests and projects you might be interested in. In my lab we investigate neural mechanisms underlying typical and atypical development during adolescence — a critical developmental period of vulnerability and opportunity.
We use a multi-modal approach, including:
- EEG, MRI, MRS, and psychophysiology
- Behavioural testing
- Computational modelling to explore individual differences and developmental trajectories
Some key studies from our Lab:
- Fear Learning and Extinction in Adolescence: We investigate how adolescents learn about safety and threat, and how these processes relate to vulnerability to anxiety (EEG, fMRI, Psychophysiology). This work helps identify developmental windows where interventions may be most effective
- Cortical Inhibition and Plasticity: Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), we examine GABAergic and cortical plasticity during adolescence in neurodivergent individuals and those who have experienced adversity, providing insight into mechanisms of resilience and adaptation.
- Longitudinal research: We study adolescent brain development and functional outcomes—such as physical health, mental wellbeing, and vocational engagement—using large-scale cohort data. Our goal is to identify mechanisms of resilience and vulnerability by integrating genetic, epigenetic, physiological, and neuroimaging data for a multi-level understanding of developmental trajectories.
Collaborative and interdisciplinary projects
I am strongly committed to cross-disciplinary research and welcome cross-lab rotation and PhD projects that bring together diverse expertise and perspectives. So, if you are interested in cross lab PhD or rotation experience do get in touch! Some examples
- Community-Based Neuroimaging: In partnership with Professor Itamar Ronen, we are pioneering the use of ultra-low-field MRI in real-world settings. One exciting initiative involves deploying a very low-field scanner across Sussex schools and youth centres to make adolescent brain imaging more accessible and inclusive.
- Metabolic Psychiatry: Collaborations with Dr Alessandro Colasanti will explore how brain metabolism influences adolescent mental health, advancing a field that integrates neuroscience, psychiatry, and physiology.
- Big data and computational modelling Our lab increasingly integrates large-scale datasets and computational modelling, in collaboration with researchers in the School of Informatics, to address key questions in adolescent development: Identifying biomarkers of risk and resilience; Understanding individual variability in developmental trajectories; Informing personalised intervention strategies through predictive modelling
For more see my personal profile page - https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p579626-liat-levita
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Key references
Rahapsari, S. and L. Levita, The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Cognitive Control Across the Lifespan: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies. Trauma Violence & Abuse, 2024.
Hales, G.K., et al., Bidirectional relationships between childhood adversities and psychosocial outcomes: A cross-lagged panel study from childhood to adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 2024.
Linton & Levita (2021). Potentiated perceptual neural responses to learned threat during Pavlovian fear acquisition and extinction in adolescents. Dev Sci. 2021 Sep;24(5):e13107. doi: 10.1111/desc.13107.
Gyurkovics M and Levita L (2021). Dynamic Adjustments of Midfrontal Control Signals in Adults and Adolescents. Cerebral Cortex, 31(2), 795-808. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhaa258
Aytemur A and Levita L (2021). Neural correlates of implicit agency during the transition from adolescence to adulthood: An ERP study Neuropsychologia 158, 107908
Ellis R, Milne E & Levita L (2021) Reduced visual cortical plasticity in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Res Bull. Doi: https: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.01.019
Howsley, P., & Levita, L. (2017) Anticipatory representations of reward and threat in perceptual areas from preadolescence to late adolescence. Dev Cogn Neurosci. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2017.03.001
Full list of publications: Google Scholar