Individuals with ASD perceive and experience the world differently compared to neurotypical individuals, but the brain mechanisms underlying these phenomena remain unknown. Adi Mizrahi plans to study the involvement of cortical feedback in these processes using behavioral, electrophysiological and anatomical studies in the 16p11.2 deletion mouse model.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition with a strong genetic basis, but a gap in knowledge exists between genetic and behavioral phenotypes due to a lack of neurophysiological explanation. To bridge the gap, Hiroki Asari aims to characterize and rescue changes in visual processing in autism model mice using causal experimental tools in modern systems neuroscience.
In this study, Elena Tenenbaum, Shafali Spurling Jeste and a team of researchers and clinicians, plan to capitalize on recent advances in remote administration of cognitive development tasks and computer vision software to pilot the Remote Infant Studies of Early Learning (RISE) Battery. This project represents a critical first step to increased understanding of early cognitive development in autism and has the potential to elucidate the foundational underpinnings of clinical heterogeneity in autism. This in turn will inform more targeted, developmentally relevant early intervention strategies for infants with atypical developmental trajectories.