Sep 21, 2026 | Contemporary Pediatrics

Tallie Z. Baram, MD, discusses unpredictable childhood environments and mental health risks

In a study led by UC Irvine's Tallie Baram, MD, she found that childhood unpredictability is a distinct mental health risk factor beyond traditional adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Adding unpredictability screening can help identify at-risk children who standard ACEs assessments might otherwise miss.

Aug 11, 2026 | NBC San Diego

UC Irvine Research Study How Ibogaine May Help Treat Opioid Addiction

Researchers at UC Irvine are trying to answer one of the biggest questions about ibogaine, a psychedelic that is still illegal in the United States, but which is increasingly becoming a focus for scientists trying to unlock its potential healing power. Professor Rick Harris is the neuroscientist leading the effort, working with volunteers. “Our group is trying to understand how the ibogaine might be working to break addictive circuitry” he says

Aug 11, 2026 | National Institutes of Health

Childhood Screen Detects Mental Health Risk

An NIH-funded research team led by Dr. Tallie Z. Baram at the University of California, Irvine and Dr. Laura Glynn at Chapman University …. added five unpredictability measures to a current adversity screen. They tested whether these measures helped improve the detection of childhood mental health conditions.

Aug 06, 2026 | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

Unpredictability Is an Important Childhood Adversity That a Simple Screen Can Capture, Study Shows

This observation is made by a team led by BBRF Scientific Council member Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD, of the University of California Irvine, in a newly published paper in Nature Mental Health reporting on their efforts to test a new screening instrument designed to capture sources of stress and trauma occurring in childhood that may be missed in existing screens

Jul 21, 2026 | Live Science

Childhood Unpredictability Linked to Higher Mental Health Risks

“What we discovered in the laboratory mice is that optimal development of the brain depends on consistent patterns, which enable the maturation of brain connections. Like mice, children's brain connections involved in happiness, threat and safety benefit from repeated, predictable experiences," said Dr. Tallie Z. Baram, study's senior author and co-corresponding author.

Jun 19, 2026 | Live Science

Estrogen Levels in Both the Male and Female Brain May Share Memory's Resilience in Face of Stress

The study suggests that these local estrogen concentrations may influence one's vulnerability to memory problems following major acute stress. Although the research was conducted in mice, the authors think it likely has relevance to humans. "I think this is highly translatable," study senior author Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD, a professor, developmental neuroscientist and child neurologist at the University of California, Irvine, told Live Science.

May 04, 2026 | Live Science

Estrogen in Both the Male and Female Brain Shapes Responses to Trauma, Study Suggests

High estrogen in the brain's memory center may worsen one's resilience against traumatic events, swaying the tendency to develop memory problems or post-traumatic stress in the aftermath, a new study in mice suggests. … Although the research was conducted in mice, the authors think it likely has relevance to humans. "I think this is highly translatable," study senior author Dr. Tallie Z. Baram, a [Distinguished] professor, developmental neuroscientist and child neurologist at the University of California, Irvine, told Live Science.