Advancing knowledge of human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Giang Pham, a rising senior from Lawrence University in Appleton, is spending her second summer doing research at the Waisman Center University of Wisconsin-Madison as part of an internship program established and supported by the late John Mielke, MD, a former member of the Waisman Board of Visitors and Appleton native, and his wife Sally. …
Mothers of children with developmental disabilities experience long-term stress, adapting for many years but showing signs of ‘wear-and-tear’ starting around age 65, affecting their physical and mental health.
It focuses on teaching proactive and positive strategies for supporting individuals with disabilities through a broad range of behaviors and escalation levels.
Genetic repeats—a sequence or segment of DNA that is repeated over and over in a row—is a typical part of the genome. However, when there is an atypical number of repeats in the DNA sequence, it can lead to impaired gene function and be the cause of more than 50 expansion conditions including fragile X syndrome (FXS).
Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited intellectual disability, may be unfolding in brain cells even before birth, despite typically going undiagnosed until age 3 or later.
Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common heritable form of intellectual and developmental disability. It is also the most common single genetic contributor to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Research studies at the Waisman Center cover both basic science and behavioral research on FXS, starting with the individual, up to the family unit, from childhood, and into old age.
Xinyu Zhao, PhD, Waisman investigator and professor of neuroscience, was recently awarded a Kellett Mid-Career Award, among 11 others, by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education.
A recent study shows that boys with fragile X syndrome and co-occurring ASD (fragile X + ASD), and autistic boys have similar patterns of linguistic errors and omit more words in conversations compared to non-autistic boys.
Obtaining a college degree may be protective against neurodegenerative symptoms in women with an elevated genetic risk.
