Thinking differently about neurodevelopmental disorders and autism: Lumping vs. splitting

  • Autism Research
Speaker Evdokia Anagnostou, M.D.
Bloorview Research Institute
Date & Time


Location

Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium
160 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10010 United States

Tea: 4:15 – 5:00pm
Lecture: 5:00 – 6:15pm

Autism Research

Autism Research lectures bring together scientists and scholars to discuss diverse and important topics related to autism.

Video replay of this event will be available shortly. Please check back at a later date.

Headshot of SFARI Investigator Evdokia Anagnostou.

On September 26, 2018, Evdokia Anagnostou discussed the challenge of rethinking classification systems and diagnostic labels for autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders in light of recent findings from research and clinical studies.

Her talk was part of the Simons Foundation Autism Research lecture series.

About the Lecture

There has been an explosion of discoveries furthering our understanding of the biology and the various presentations of autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental differences. The excitement from the new understandings is matched by the challenge to rethink our classification systems and diagnostic labels and translate that into meaningful treatments.

In this lecture, Evdokia Anagnostou used evidence from genetics, brain imaging and behavior as well as treatment studies to illustrate this emerging rethinking of neurodevelopmental conditions.

About the Speaker

Evdokia Anagnostou is a child neurologist and senior clinician scientist at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital; associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto; assistant director of the Bloorview Research Institute and co-lead of the Autism Research Centre. She holds a Canada Research Chair in translational therapeutics in autism spectrum disorder and the Dr. Stuart D. Sims Chair in Autism at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Anagnostou’s research focuses on translating genomic and systems biology findings into novel treatments for autism spectrum disorder.

Past Lectures

Image of Kelsey MartinLeonard Mlodinow headshot

How emotions shape our memories

Kelsey C. Martin, M.D., Ph.D.Executive Vice President, Autism and Neuroscience
Leonard Mlodinow, Ph.D.Physicist and Author

Have you ever contemplated the difference between a feeling, a thought and a memory? And how do all these things fit together in making us who we are?

Leonard Mlodinow is a theoretical physicist and best-selling author. In his latest book, “Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking,” he unpacks the role emotions play in our thinking and mental well-being.

Kelsey Martin, director of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) and the foundation’s neuroscience collaborations, has spent much of her career as a neuroscientist seeking to understand better how experiences change brain connectivity to store long-term memories.

Image of panelists

What do we mean by ‘autism risk genes’?

David Ledbetter, Ph.D.
Chief Clinical Officer, Dascena

Joseph Buxbaum, Ph.D.
Director, Seaver Autism Center
Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Genetics and Genomic Sciences
Vice Chair for Research and Vice Chair for Mentoring, Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Heather Mefford, M.D., Ph.D.
Full Member, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

David Ledbetter and Joseph Buxbaum discussed whether there are genes for which mutations confer risk specific to autism or whether these genes are really conferring general risk of disrupted brain development. The discussion was moderated by Heather Mefford.

Image of panelists for may 14 2021 event

Small molecules, genes and antisense oligonucleotides: Industry perspectives on treatment development for ASD

Federico Bolognani, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President, Head of Clinical Science, Axial Therapeutics

Stuart Cobb, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer, Neurogene; Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh

Yael Weiss, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President, Business Development, Ultragenyx

Randy Carpenter, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer, Rett Syndrome Research Trust; Co-Founder, Allos Pharma

Federico Bolognani, Stuart Cobb, and Yael Weiss joined a panel to discuss new industry developments on the use of small molecules, gene therapy and antisense oligonucleotides as treatment approaches for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The panel discussion was moderated by Randall Carpenter.

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