Michelle M. Martel, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
(2008, Michigan State University)
Click here for Dr. Martel's lab and clinic info
Research Interests
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common and costly childhood syndrome with a prevalence rate of 3-5% and a sex-biased prevalence rate of 3:1 (boy:girl). Dr. Martel's research utilizes a translational perspective to examine developmental pathways to childhood psychopathology with an emphasis on temperament and personality traits, executive function, and biological influences, particularly gonadal hormones and dopaminergic genes. She is especially interested in mechanisms that may lead to sex differences in the expression of common child externalizing disorders, especially ADHD, but also Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and substance use disorders. Because these conditions overlap so extensively, they cannot readily be studied in isolation. The main question her work addresses is: What biological and psychological mechanisms modulate the developmental pathways to childhood externalizing disorders and influence their taxonomic distinctions?
Ongoing and future work will examine relations between neuropsychological executive function (e.g., response inhibition) and temperament and personality traits (e.g., effortful control) in regard to developmental psychopathology with a particular focus on sex differences. More exploratory work will examine the relationship between prenatal hormone exposure and dopaminergic genes in the development of childhood externalizing disorders. Through the above avenues, it is hoped that individual pathways to psychopathology will be elucidated.
Participating students will have the opportunity to gain expertise in diverse, translational research methodology, including child development paradigms and coding systems, advanced clinical diagnostic assessment, neuropsychological and cognitive assessment, and advanced statistics.
Selected Publications
Martel, M.M., Gobrogge, K.L., Breedlove, S.M., & Nigg, J.T. (2008). Masculinized finger-length ratios of boys, but not girls, are associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Behavioral Neuroscience, 122(2), 273-281.
Martel, M.M., Nigg, J.T., & Lucas, R. (2008). Trait mechanisms in youth with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 895-913.
Nigg, J.T., Knottnerus, G.M., Martel, M., Nikolas, M., Cavanagh, K., Karmaus, W., & Rappley, M.D. (2008). Low blood levels associated with clinically diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and mediated by weak cognitive control. Biological Psychiatry, 63, 325-331.
Martel, M., Lucia, V., Nigg, J., & Breslau, N. (2007). Sex differences in the relations among low birth weight, neuropsychological executive function, and attention problems. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35(1), 87-96.
Martel, M.M, Nigg, J.T., Wong, M.M., Fitzgerald, H.E., Jester, J.M., Puttler, L.I., Glass, J.M., Adams, K.M., Zucker, R.A. (2007). Child and adolescent resiliency, regulation, and executive functioning in relation to adolescent problems and competence in a high-risk sample. Development and Psychopathology, 19(2), 541-563.
Martel, M.M., Nikolas, M., & Nigg, J.T. (2007). Executive function in adolescents with ADHD. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(11), 1437-1444.
Martel, M.M. & Nigg, J.T. (2006). Child ADHD and personality/temperament traits of reactive and effortful control, resiliency, and emotionality. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 47(11), 1175-118.
Revised 8/7/09