Neuroimaging Contributions to the Understanding of Brain Development in Autism
Presidential Lectures are free public colloquia centered on four main themes: Biology, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science, and Neuroscience and Autism Science. These curated, high-level scientific talks feature leading scientists and mathematicians and are intended to foster discourse and drive discovery among the broader NYC-area research community. We invite those interested in the topic to join us for this weekly lecture series.
In this lecture, David G. Amaral will present neuroimaging data acquired through the University of California, Davis MIND Institute’s Autism Phenome Project. Young children (aged 2 to 3 and a half years old) are recruited into this longitudinal project and MRI scans are acquired annually. Results will be presented supporting the concept that there are different types of altered brain development in different children with autism. Amaral will also discuss neuroimaging studies of infant siblings of children with autism that provide evidence for abnormal brain growth that may contribute to early biomarkers of autism.