FacebookTwitter
  • CAREERS
  • CONTACT US
Top Bar Menu
 
Hussman Institute for AutismHussman Institute for Autism
Hussman Institute for Autism
Advancing Discovery. Embracing Differences. Enabling Communication. Presuming Ability.
  • Home
  • Our Research
    • Program on Neuroscience
      • Autism and Brain Development Laboratory: Migration
      • Autism Neurocircuitry Laboratory: Neurochemistry
      • Human Stem Cell Neurophysiology Laboratory
      • Neural Circuit Development Laboratory: Adhesion
      • Neuronal Connectivity Laboratory: Cytoskeleton
      • Laboratory of Neural Circuits & Behavior: Electrophysiology
    • Program on Supports
      • Augmentative & Alternative Communication
      • Positive Behavior Supports
      • Communication and Inclusion
  • Our People
  • Programs & Events
  • TRANSLATE Blog
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
  • About the Institute
Menu back  

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 ext730
gblatt@hussmanautism.org

View Laboratory
  • Education & Experience
  • Research Interests
  • Research Background
  • Selected Publications

Education & Experience

2013-present   Director, Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism, Baltimore, MD

2014-present   Senior Investigator, Neurobiology of Autism Laboratory, Program in Neuroscience, Hussman Institute for Autism

2014-present   Adjunct Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMB)

2013-present   Adjunct Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM)

2011-2013       Full Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, BUSM

2003-2011       Associate Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, BUSM

1994-2003       Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, BUSM

1991-1994       Research Assistant Professor, Anatomy and Neurobiology, BUSM

1987-1991       Research Associate, Anatomy and Neurobiology, BUSM

1985-1987       Post-doctoral Fellow, Neurophysiology, Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA

1986                Ph.D., Neuroanatomy, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, Thesis Advisor – Dr. Leonard Eisenman in Olivocerebellar Topography and Organization

1976                M.S., Biology, Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, Thesis Advisor – Dr. Robert Sager, Ornithology thesis at Marine Science Consortium, Wallop’s Island, VA in Animal Behavior

1974                B.A., Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Research Interests

Current motor and cognitive regions of interest include the basal ganglia, cerebellum, limbic system and cerebral cortex. We have previously demonstrated alterations in the GABAergic system in multiple brain regions, and our studies are now revealing atypical expression of specific types of GABAergic, cholinergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic and glutamatergic receptors. By characterizing abnormalities in the key neurotransmitter systems involved in early brain development, the experiments are designed to better understand the formation of aberrant circuitry and developmental timing of the neuropathology of autism. The aim is to quantify novel biomarkers and to identify specific targets for the development of pharmacotherapies for this complex condition.

Research Background

Autism is a developmental neurological condition that is characterized by altered social interaction, difficulties with language and atypical responses to sensory stimuli. While the etiology of autism is largely unknown, the condition is thought to be highly genetic.  Recent findings in the field have pointed to key genes suspected to be involved in developmental and molecular processes. In the Autism Neurocircuitry Laboratory, we investigate the role and significance of specific biomarkers as products of altered genetic expression. Our focus has been to explore the GABAergic and Glutamatergic systems in parallel, investigating the balance of excitation and inhibition in affected areas of the autism brain. We study the neuropathology and neuropharmacology of autism in postmortem human brain tissue utilizing modern methods such as in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and in vitro ligand binding for neurotransmitter receptors and transporters.

Selected Publications

Hampson DR & Blatt GJ (2015). Autism spectrum disorders and neuropathology of the cerebellum. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 9:420 doi: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00420

Zhang K., Hill K., Labak S., Blatt G.J. and Soghomonian J.J. (2014) Loss of glutamic acid decarboxylase (Gad67) in Gpr88-expressing neurons induces learning and social behavior deficits in mice. Neuroscience. 275:238-47.

Oblak A., Gibbs T.T. and Blatt G.J. (2013) Reduced serotonin receptor subtypes in a limbic and a neocortical region in autism.  Autism Res. 6(6):571-83.

Lanoue A.C., Blatt G.J. and Soghomonian J.J. (2013) Decreased parvalbumin mRNA expression in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in Parkinson’s disease. Brain Res. 1531:37-47.

Fatemi S.H., Aldinger K.A., Ashwood P. Bauman M.L., Blaha C.D., Blatt G.J., Chauhan A., Chauhan V., Dager S.R., Dickson P.E., Estes A.M., Goldowitz D., Heck D.H., Kemper T.L., King B.H., Martin L.A., Millen K.J., Mittleman G., Mosconi M.W., Persico A.M., Sweeney J.A., Webb S.J., and Welsh J.P. (2012) Consensus paper: pathological role of the cerebellum in autism. Cerebellum. 11(3):777-807.

Blatt G.J. (2012) The Neuropathology of autism. Scientifica. 2012:703675

Lister J.P., Blatt G.J., Kemper T.L., Tonkiss J., DeBassio W.A., Galler J.R. and Rosene D.L. (2011) Prenatal protein malnutrition alters the proportion but not numbers of parvalbumin-immunoreactive interneurons in the hippocampus of the adult Sprague-Dawley rat. Nutr Neurosci. 14(4):165-78.

Blatt GJ, Fatemi SH. (2011) Alterations in GABAergic biomarkers in the autism brain: research findings and clinical implications. Anat Rec. 294(10):1646-52.

Oblak, A., Gibbs T.T. and Blatt,G.J. (2011) Reduced GABAA receptors and benzodiazepine binding sites in the posterior cingulate cortex and fusiform gyrus in autism. Brain Res. 1380:218-228.

Oblak, A., Kemper, T.L., Bauman, M.L. and Blatt, G.J. (2011) Altered posterior cingulate cortical cytoarchitecture, but normal density of neurons and interneurons in the posterior cingulate cortex and fusiform gyrus in autism. Autism Res. 4(3):200-211.

Blatt, G.J., ed., (2010) The Neurochemical Basis of Autism: Molecules to Minicolumns, Springer Publishers, N.Y., Berlin.

Lawrence, Y.L., Kemper, T.L., Bauman, M.L., and Blatt, G.J.  (2010) Parvalbumin, Calbindin, and Calretinin Immunoreactive Interneuron Density in Autism.  Acta Neurol. Scan. 121(2):99-108.

Oblak, A., Gibbs, T.T., and Blatt, G.J.  (2010) Decreased GABAB receptors in the cingulate cortex and fusiform gyrus in autism. J. Neurochem. 114(5):1414-1423.

Oblak, A, Gibbs, T.T., and Blatt, G.J.  (2009) Decreased GABAA receptors and benzodiazepine binding sites in the anterior cingulate cortex in autism.  Autism Res. 2:205-219.

Yip, J., Soghomonian, J-J. and Blatt, G.J. (2009) Decreased GAD65 mRNA levels in select subpopulations of neurons in the cerebellar dentate nuclei in autism: an in situ hybridization study. Autism Res. 2:50-59.

Yip, J., Soghomonian, J-J. and Blatt, G.J. (2008) Increased GAD67 mRNA expression in cerebellar interneurons in autism:implications for Purkinje cell dysfunction. J. Neurosci. Res. 86:525-530.

Yip, J., Soghomonian, J-J. and Blatt, G.J. (2007)  Decreased GAD67 mRNA levels in cerebellar Purkinje cells in autism: pathophysiological implications. Acta Neuropath. 113:559-568.

  • “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
Subscribe & Stay Informed
Recent Activity:
  • Autism Kit for First Responders
    April 21, 2022
  • Supporting Students with Special Needs: Online Training Modules for School-Based Professionals who Support Students with Disabilities
    April 16, 2019
  • Parental optimism, school inclusion may affect long-term progress of individuals with autism
    April 12, 2016
  • Young adults with autism increase empathic communication with training
    March 24, 2016
Contact

  • follow us:

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

site development by

© 2013 - 2017 Hussman Institute for Autism