17th International Conference of the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa Marrakesh-Morocco April, 17-20, 2025

Title: Early life stress,Sex differences, and Maternal influences: Insights into Brain and Behavioral Disorders
Organizer: Fatiha Chigr
Biological Engineering Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Sultan Moulay Sliman, University, Beni Mellal, Morocco
email: F.CHIGR@usms.ma

Abstract:

Early life stress (ELS), which includes prenatal and postnatal stress, is a significant factor profoundly affect brain development, leading to long-lasting alterations in neurobiological functions and behavior. During critical developmental periods, adverse experiences are associated with an increased risk of neuropsychiatric and mental disorders, including anxiety, depression, long-term cognitive deficits, and metabolic dysregulation. This symposium will explore the impact of ELS, with a focus on the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, it will also provide an overview of our current understanding of the neurodevelopmental, molecular, and environmental factors that mediate the effects of perinatal insults on neurobiological and behavioral outcomes, ranging from metabolic to behavioral disorders. The invited speakers are leading experts in developmental programming. They will address various aspects of the maternal environment, including nutrition, hormonal imbalances, psychological and social stress, and a range of lifelong disorders in offspring, such as obesity, anxiety, depression, memory deficits, emotion-related behaviors, and sociability. They will Additionally, we will highlight recently identified mechanisms and explore potential intervention strategies. These emerging concepts offer new perspectives on managing obesity, metabolic, and behavioral disorders, as observed in human life. This symposium is noteworthy for its interdisciplinary focus and potential for real-world applications, and it is likely to attract a wide audience of neurobiologists.

Speakers

Number	Speaker	e-mail	Title of  the communication
SP3_1	Sebastien BOURET	Sebastien.bouret@inserm.fr	Sex specific differences in developmental programming of metabolism
SP3_2	Oumaima ESSAIDI	essaidioumaima1996@gmail.com	Sex-specific long-term effects of prenatal stress in mice offspring.
SP3_3	Liana FATTORE	liana.fattore@in.cnr.it	Sex-dependent differences in the effect of pre-weaning social isolation and enrichment
SP3_4	Stefania MACCARI	stefania.maccari@univ-lille1.fr	The intergenerational inheritance of early life stress is transmitted by maternal care via oxytocin.