General Information

Project Alpha, the Special Interest Research Group on the Social Neuroscience of Human Attachment (SIRG SoNeAt) within the Society for Emotion and Attachment Studies (SEAS), and the University of Essex (Colchester, United Kingdom) was very happy to host a one-day hybrid conference on the topic of Epigenetics meets Social Neuroscience of Attachment on July 5, 2022.

The main conference focus was on epigenetic research in psychiatry and psychology and how such research can be combined with methods from social neuroscience and attachment theory to study couple and family relationships.

As part of Project Alpha, Prof Tsachi Ein-Dor and his team set up a unique large-scale longitudinal study in up to 1500 Israeli couples that will be assessed before and after the birth of their first child. Besides the collection of self-reports and behavioural observations, Project Alpha will also comprise genetic and epigenetic testing as well as the measurement of brain-to-brain synchrony in couples and the mother-infant-father triad.

The four Keynote speakers provided insights into the current state-of-the-art of the above methods as part of Project Alpha. Additional poster and short oral presentations on related topics were solicited from conference participants and particularly early career researchers (ECRs).

We are very happy that Prof Willem Verbeke agreed to attend the conference as our special guest of honour. Prof Verbeke reached out to Prof Ein-Dor and Dr Vrticka several years ago. He thereby initiated a fruitful collaboration that not only resulted in the formulation of the functional neuro-anatomical model of human attachment (NAMA), but also helped further advancing the instatement of Project Alpha.

Conference registration and attendance was free of charge and participation possible both on site / in person and remote. Registered participants can make a donation of their choice towards the Society for Emotion and Attachment Studies (SEAS) – please use this donation link to do so.

Abstract submission and conference registration are now closed.

Please do not hesitate to contact us by email (sirg.soneat@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

Cordially,
Tsachi Ein-Dor & Pascal Vrticka