Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
The Waisman Center is one of 25 recipients to receive funding through a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant that focuses on advancing research on Down syndrome. The grant is part of the NIH Investigation of Co-occurring Conditions Across the Lifespan to Understand Down Syndrome (INCLUDE) project. INCLUDE is a trans-NIH effort that will fund …
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a small molecule produced by the metaorganismal metabolism of dietary choline, has been implicated in human disease pathogenesis, including known risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as metabolic, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular disease.
After 27 years as the director of the Waisman Early Childhood Program (WECP), Joan Ershler, PhD, retired in early September 2019. The WECP is a model inclusive early childhood program with a developmentally diverse enrollment serving children with special needs alongside their typically developing peers. Under her leadership, the program grew substantially. The number of children …
In tissue engineering applications, sacrificial molding of hydrogel monoliths is a versatile technique for creating 3D molds to control tissue morphology. Previous sacrificial templates fabricated by serial processes such as solvent casting and thermal extrusion/fiber drawing can be used to effectively mold internal geometries within rapidly polymerizing, bulk curing hydrogels.
On September 23, the Waisman Center welcomed Ann Marie Lauritzen, MMSW, M.Ed, as the new director of the Waisman Early Childhood Program. She succeeds Joan Ershler, PhD, who retired at the beginning of September after 27 years of service. “I am excited to work with such a positive, caring and devoted staff,” Lauritzen says. “Supporting …
CMT is equally common among all ages, genders, and races and is one of the most common heritable neurological impairments. The symptoms present as neuropathy, foot drop, poor balance, difficulty with dexterity, or abnormal sensation – just to name a few.
Although intervening early can improve child and family outcomes when a child has a developmental disability, most children with developmental delays are not identified prior to school entry. Childcare professionals can play a key role in identifying delays early.
The segmentation of small brain structures like the amygdala is quite challenging in the presence of distorted and abnormal anatomy from major brain injuries.
Strong genetic associations have been found for a number of psychiatric disorders. However, understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms remains challenging.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests as a heterogeneous set of social, cognitive, motor, and perceptual symptoms. This system-wide pervasiveness suggests that, rather than narrowly impacting individual systems such as affection or vision, autism may broadly alter neural computation.
