A positive emotional climate at home and inclusive educational experiences while at school can have long-lasting beneficial effects for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a recent study by researchers at the Waisman …
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Tracing a path towards neuronal cell death in Alexander disease
A fruit fly model of a rare, neurodegenerative disease is helping researchers trace the series of steps that lead to neuronal cell death. Damage to astrocytes – star-shaped cells found in the brain and spinal cord – is found in many neurodegenerative conditions, but it’s been unclear exactly what role astrocyte dysfunction plays in the development of disease.
Thoughts of Gratitude: David Busta
As basketball season gathers steam (go Badgers!), one small town in northern Wisconsin will be buzzing with excitement about a different basketball tournament on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
Waisman Center partners on new multi-site NIH initiative to find Alzheimer’s biomarkers in Down syndrome
Brad Christian, PhD, Waisman investigator and associate professor of medical physics and psychiatry, is part of a new National Institutes of Health initiative to identify biomarkers and track the progression of Alzheimer’s in people with Down syndrome.
Holiday cards for autism
Giizhik Klawiter has autism and began drawing at six years old as a therapeutic outlet. For the last six years, Giizhik and his brother Mino have designed holiday greeting cards and sold them in their hometown of Hayward, Wisconsin with the help of their mother, Pam Miller.
Searching for associations: New Waisman investigator studies child behavior disorders and the genetics and environment behind them
James Li’s drive to research, understand and develop effective interventions for childhood behavioral disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was sparked in the hallways of a juvenile justice center in Baltimore.
Divorce rate doesn’t go up as families of children with disabilities grow
Couples raising a child with developmental disabilities do not face a higher risk of divorce if they have larger families, according to a new study by researchers from the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Help support autism, epilepsy research at weekend fundraiser
Anyone paying attention to these editorials knows we are passionate supporters of the Waisman Center, especially of the life-changing research into neurodegenerative diseases and causes of developmental disabilities done there.
Genetic counseling students learn to serve patients in ever-changing field
Many expected the Human Genome Project to cause a revolution far beyond the field of genetics — into economics and culture — and thought the 13-year, $3 billion international research endeavor would allow us to understand and control viruses, identify the root causes of cancers, advance forensics, create better crops and update anthropology tools to get a better view of our evolutionary path.
Motherhood and mental health: Exploring the links between anxiety, depression and fragile X premutations
Women who have a child with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and are themselves carriers of a “premutation” in the gene linked to FXS are at an increased risk of developing depression and certain kinds of anxiety disorders over time, according to a recent study by researchers at the Waisman Center and the University of South Carolina.