June 30, 2015
Dear Friends:
Thank you for registering with Autism BrainNet. There are now over a thousand people registered to be informed about the gift of post-mortem brain tissue.
This spring was a busy time for autism research. Each year in May, the largest meeting  dedicated to the scientific study of autism, the International Meeting for Autism Research, attracts thousands of researchers, families, and members of the community. This year's conference brought over 1800 people to Salt Lake City to share data, discuss new ideas and collaborate on new ways to understand and treat autism spectrum disorder. Autism BrainNet-supported studies were integrated into genetics, neuroanatomy and pathology sessions at IMFAR. There was also a special session focused on neuronal migration that featured work conducted by Autism BrainNet. You can read more about this below.
Thank you all for your participation in Autism BrainNet, and please share this information with friends and family members and encourage them to sign up at www.takesbrains.org. We hope that you will be our ambassadors. If you would like information to distribute at organizations that you are affiliated with, please contact us at [email protected]. If you are aware of a potential donation, please try to steer the family in the direction of Autism BrainNet. We have a team of professionals ready to help with all of the details. Call: 1-877-333-0999
We wish you a healthy and restful summer,
David
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RESEARCHERS AND ADVOCATES
GATHER AT THE INTERNATIONAL MEETING FOR AUTISM RESEARCH (IMFAR)
A special session at IMFAR entitled "Neuronal Migration Abnormalities in Autism" focused on direct evidence that brain cells in autism do not make their way to the correct places in the brain during early brain development. All of this research was based on the analysis of postmortem brain tissue.
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Jane Pickett, Autism BrainNet Scientific Officer, at IMFAR
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Researchers looking at the brain cells of people with autism have so far focused on size, shape, and type. Now they are starting to put the pieces together to determine why some cells do not make proper connections. A report at IMFAR showed that some brain cells were misplaced. Why would this happen? The speakers suggested that there are abnormal chemical signals during development that cause too many neurons to be produced or not enough cells to be removed (a natural and necessary occurrence) during fetal development, which may put these cells in the wrong place. This would affect how the cells connect with each other and whether or not they are turned on or turned off at the right times. Development of the brain is a fine-tuned set of processes and any disturbance leads to alterations of function such as impaired social behavior.
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Autism Self Advocate Alex Plank describes
why he supports Autism BrainNet
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In addition to scientific presentations at IMFAR, Autism BrainNet co-sponsored a lunch so that stakeholders with autism and their family members could learn about Autism BrainNet in a friendly atmosphere. Autism self-advocate Alex Plank attended and spoke about the importance of brain tissue research. Self-advocate John Elder Robison also urged all attendees to register with Autism BrainNet.
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KNOW YOUR NODES:
Spotlight on: University of Texas, Southwestern
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Home of the Autism BrainNet at the
University of Texas, Southwestern
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One of the few integrated research and clinical programs for autism in the United States is also a node of the Autism BrainNet. Years ago, the president of UTSW wanted to ensure that the autism researchers at this university collaborated, so he moved clinical services for autism into the same building as autism research. This means that people with autism can see a psychologist, a neurologist, a GI doctor, or a psychiatrist as part of a research study on one floor, and then go right downstairs receive treatments, get their hair cut, or see a dentist. This design makes it easier for families to participate in research as the building is a one stop shop for all of the family's needs. Within walking distance from the clinical building is the basic research building, where on one floor researchers are developing mouse and rat models of autism, and on the other floor, postmortem brain tissue from people with autism is being analyzed. This type of integration enables scientists and researchers to share ideas and collaborate more effectively.
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AUTISM BRAINNET IN THE NEWS
Thank you to the Koch Family from Long Island, NY. They appeared in a CBS news story about the importance of brain tissue donation that was played in 43 cities across the United States. The story also featured Dr. Patrick Hof, Director of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine node. Watch the video.
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