Marsha R. Mailick, PhD – Slide of the Week

The FMR1 gene on the X chromosome has varying numbers of CGG repeats. The modal number is 30, and expansion to > 200 results in fragile X syndrome, but the copy number extends down to 6. Past research suggests that individuals whose CGGs are in the “low zone” (LZ; defined here as ≤ 25 CGGs) may be more environmentally-reactive than those with normal-range repeats (26-40 CGGs) – a gene x environment interaction

The social brain: A beautiful mind

What images come to mind when you hear the phrase social brain? Do you think of children running around on a playground laughing together? Do you think of problem solving or imagine colorful brain scans? Do you think of autism? These are the questions that inspired a breadth of autism research that was recently evaluated by a team of Waisman scientists and compiled into a new literature review.