Human Origins: Lessons from Autism Spectrum Disorders
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is very commonly diagnosed these days, possibly due to increased awareness. Or are these signs that the human brain is developing in new and different ways that have yet to be understood? What have advances in our understanding of the etiologies of ASD taught us about its mechanisms, and can they shed light on the evolution of the human brain? The CARTA public symposium on "Human Origins: Lessons from Autism Spectrum Disorders" featured scientists from many diverse fields,
including genetics, neuroscience, psychiatry, cognitive science, psychology, and evolutionary biology, who shared their insights into ASD - providing a multidisciplinary perspective on this multifaceted spectrum of disorders, and its implications for understanding human origins and the evolution of the human mind.
(from carta.anthropogeny.org)
Surprising Findings in Autism: Insights into Anthropogeny? Although the neurobiology of autism has been studied for more than two decades, the majority of studies have examined brain anatomy 10 or more years after the onset of clinical symptoms. The early neural defects that cause autism remain unknown, but their signature is likely to be most evident during the first years of life when clinical symptoms are emerging. In this lecture, Eric Courchesne (UC San Diego) highlights several new findings about the neural and genomic abnormalities in autism at young ages.
| 2. Surprising Findings in Autism: Insights into Anthropogeny? |
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