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Autism Neurocircuitry Laboratory: Neurochemistry

Gene J. Blatt, Ph.D., Director of Neuroscience / Senior Investigator

Autism

Control

[3H]-Muscimol labeled GABAA receptors in the posterior cingulate cortex. Red-orange indicates a high density of label, yellow-green indicates, low density binding. Note: The significant decrease in GABAA receptors in the Autism Case.

The main goal of the Autism Neurocircuitry Laboratory is to determine how the imbalance of excitation and inhibition in specific areas and regions in the autism brain impacts connectivity and ultimately function.  Experiments are designed to collectively evaluate local and long range circuitry in efforts to better understand how altered connectivity within and among areas contributes to altered sensorimotor and cognitive processing.

To accomplish this, our laboratory utilizes a wide array of methods investigating the neuropathological and neurochemical basis of autism. Fresh-frozen and fixed tissue sections from individuals with autism and matched controls from a variety of cortical and subcortical brain areas are used in the studies. Standard Nissl stains delineate cytoarchitectural features of brain areas. Stereological principles are used for neuronal counts utilizing Stereoinvestigator software. Immunocytochemical methods are used to immuno-label GABAergic, glutamatergic and other biomarkers on specific cell types and fibers.  In collaboration with Dr. Jean-Jacques Soghomonian, in situ hybridization histochemistry is performed to label mRNA expression of key synthesizing enzymes and receptor subtypes. Ligand binding autoradiography is utilized to label the density and distribution and/or number of different types of neurotransmitter uptake sites and receptors.  Collectively, these experiments will determine how differences in excitatory and inhibitory markers in the autism brain contribute to altered information processing and its relation to behavior.

Purkinje cells (PCs) immunostained with calbindin. PCs are reduced in number within postmortem cerebella in many patients with autism.

Lab Team

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Gene J. Blatt, Ph.D.
Director of Neuroscience / Senior Investigator

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Cheryl Brandenburg, M.S.
Senior Research Assistant & Laboratory Coordinator, Hussman Institute for Autism

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Brittany White

Research Technician, Hussman Institute for Autism

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Charity Ensor

Research Technician, Hussman Institute for Autism

Contact Information

Gene J. Blatt, Ph.D.
Director of Neuroscience / Senior Investigator
Autism Neurocircuitry Laboratory
Program in Neuroscience
801 W. Baltimore Street / Suite 301
Baltimore, MD 21201
443.860.2580 ext. 730
gblatt@hussmanautism.org

  • “The soul must be loved as it is.”

    Jamie Burke
  • “Autism awareness can’t stop with a list of what makes people with autism different from us. Because what is essential is the constant awareness of what makes us the same.”

    John P. Hussman, Ph.D., Director
  • “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

    The Little Prince

    Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  • “We agree with the view that presuming competence is the least dangerous assumption.”

    John P. Hussman, Ph.D., Director
  • “Autism is not disability.”

    Jamie Burke
  • “We are just like you, with the same desires, and just need help to be typical members of society.”

    Sue Rubin
  • “In the end, the best argument for inclusion is the simplest. It’s the one we know by heart – that all of us are created equal.”

    John P. Hussman, Ph.D., Director
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Administration & Program on Autism Supports
Hussman Institute for Autism
6021 University Blvd, Ste 490
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Phone 443-860-2580 | Email info@hussmanautism.org

Research Laboratories
Hussman Institute for Autism
1011 Sunnybrook Road, Ninth Floor
Miami, FL 33136
(3 blocks from the Hussman Institute for Human Genomics)
Phone 443-860-2580 | Email info@hussmanautism.org

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