Neural and Phenotypic Correlates of Autism Risk Genes

This grant aims to examine the effects of 5 replicated autism risk genes on brain structure and function, using functional and structural MRI. The goal is to try to understand the neural basis of behavioral variations in autism by drawing connections from genes to brain to behavior. We will examine 5 autism risk genes and one known genetic syndrome, 22q11deltion, where there are high rates of autism, and identify brain regions and systems associated with these genes, relating them to variations in the autism phenotype.