Autism and Developmental Disorders Colloquium Series

"Autism: Could the brain be downstream?"

Martha Herbert, MD, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School
Pediatric Neurologist, Massachusetts General Hospital

6:00 pm, Wednesday, December 14, 2005
MIT Building 46-3002 (auditorium), followed by a reception

Building Address: 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139

Please RSVP to lmavros@mit.edu

The behaviors defining autism are undoubtedly related to neurological dysfunction. But does that make autism a "brain disorder"? The autism behavioral syndrome is variably but frequently accompanied by a panoply of symptomatology that may be related to underlying common core mechanisms. A multisystem model of autism, where the brain is affected in parallel with or even downstream of other systems, will be presented, and it will be argued that this approach may be more parsimonious and also more useful for identifying treatment targets.

Hosted by Professor John Gabrieli

Supported by the Simons Foundation and the Anne and Paul Marcus Family Foundation