Molly Losh - Linguistic and cognitive profiles in autism and the broad autism phenotype

Keywords:
Time: 
Wed, Mar 7, 2012 - 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Place: 
43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, MIT 46-3002
Javascript is required to view this map.

Molly Losh, Ph.D.
Jane Steiner Hoffman and Michael Hoffman Assistant Professor, Northwestern University

Abstract:

Evidence for the genetic basis of autism comes from twin and family studies showing strong heritability and familiality, respectively. Further, genetic liability appears to be expressed among unaffected relatives of people with autism through very subtle features that are qualitatively similar to the defining characteristics of autism. Yet little is known about the neural systems and the cognitive processes that mediate either the autism phenotype, or the ???Broad Autism Phenotype??? in relatives. Do they feature impairments in the same underlying neuropsychological systems? Are there specific language and cognitive profiles that characterize these phenotypes? And how might such features facilitate gene-finding studies? This talk will describe findings from family-study and cross-population research aimed to address these questions. Evidence will be presented suggesting that language is an important target for linking phenotype to cognitive process to brain structure in autism, and may ultimately provide insights into genes involved in autism, and related to language and cognitive processes in typical development.

http://web.mit.edu/autism

No votes yet