Bar Bruno Shvalbo
Ph.D. student
Sagol School of Neuroscience
The Impact of the Juvenile Social Environment on Learning and Health Trajectories
Project description
The transition into early adolescence is a sensitive developmental stage marked by rapid maturation of neural circuits, heightened plasticity, and increasing dependence on social input. During this period, social stressors and environmental instability can leave enduring marks on cognitive development, social behavior, and physical health. Yet, compared to early childhood, the school-age years remain relatively underexplored in terms of their lifelong influence on cognition and well-being.
This project investigates how social conditions during the school years shape long-term cognitive capacities, social learning, and well-being. Using a translational approach, it combines human data on perceived social diversity, stability, and cohesion during peri-adolescence with a novel animal model that experimentally manipulates the social environment during a critical juvenile period. In humans, the study examines associations between school-age social experiences and adult outcomes. In parallel, animal studies enable mechanistic exploration of how early social dynamics influence social learning, brain circuitry, and immune function.
By integrating behavioral, neural, and immunological measures across species, the project aims to uncover how socially derived stress during the school years can both foster adaptive learning and impose hidden physiological costs. The findings are expected to advance understanding of the social determinants of health through a developmentally sensitive lens and lay the groundwork for resilience-building interventions targeted at the juvenile social stage.
About me
I am a Ph.D. student at the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University, jointly supervised by Prof. Inbal Ben-Ami Bartal and Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu. My research focuses on early-life programming of well-being through social and psycho-neuro-immunological perspectives. I hold a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from the Consciousness Studies Program at Tel Aviv University, and an M.A. in Psychobiology under the supervision of Prof. Ben-Eliyahu. Alongside my academic work, I have worked with at-risk youth in various programs and, for the past five years, have taught psychology courses to high school students through Tel Aviv Youth University.