The development of brain imaging techniques has helped us understand emotion, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases in ways we could not before.
Research
The Waisman Center’s signature research project looks deeply at the connections between autism and ADHD
Josh loves coming to the Waisman Center. He has told his mom Julia several times that he particularly enjoys the two-day visits because he gets to spend more time at the center. His brain is special so it is cool that the scientists want to study it, he tells Julia.
Artificial intelligence: A real tool for advancing research on intellectual and developmental disabilities and beyond
AI collects big data and uses computer algorithms to search patterns that are present in your daily life.
New research expands understanding of impact of rapamycin on fragile X syndrome
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 beyond Waisman Center: Discoveries that have spun into products
Multiple discoveries born from the minds and hard work of Waisman Center investigators have left the nest to become successful companies or products that have had a significant impact in the world through translational research.
Seth Pollak: A career dedicated to understanding child emotion
The fun decals on the colorful walls and the cheerful environment gives it away, the third floor of the Waisman Center is dedicated to children. This space is where Seth Pollak, PhD, has spent most of his career studying child emotion, and how early life experiences shape the brain during development.
New machine learning algorithm improves estimation and integration of single-cell data
Like a game of Wheel of Fortune, where you have to fill in missing letters to guess the hidden phrase, analyzing data sometimes requires estimating missing data points by relying on available information in order to get the full picture of what’s being studied.
The Little Listeners Project: studying language development in toddlers with autism
Even through cute but unintelligible babbles, infants are hard at work learning how to become successful communicators.
We need to know STAT: Mechanisms behind GFAP accumulation in Alexander disease involve transcription factor STAT3.
The hallmarks of Alexander disease, aggregation of misfolded GFAP proteins and dysregulation of brain cells called astrocytes, may be stopped and reversed in rodent models with the inactivation of the transcription factor STAT3.
Understanding autism from the minute to the masses: Autism research at the Waisman Center
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an intricate and complicated diagnosis. The spectrum of presentations and severity is as expansive as the theorized causes. Autism’s complexity and breadth of impacts on a person’s life means that it has a multitude of facets to investigate.