During pregnancy and childhood, the brain and nervous system develop rapidly to form intricate circuits that allow people to function. However, genetic alterations or environmental impacts can affect brain development, causing neurodevelopmental disorders that can lead to potentially lifelong conditions.
Department of Neuroscience researchers at WashU Medicine are pushing the boundaries of our knowledge to understand how our experiences of the world interact with genes to build the brain and how brain functions emerge. Their work aims to provide answers for families on the causes of neurodevelopmental disorders and to find treatments and cures to enable healthy brain development, giving children the best chance in life.
Neurodevelopmental disorders impact personal, social, academic and occupational functions, such as difficulties with cognition, language and speech, motor skills, behavior, memory, learning or other neurological functions. They affect tens of millions of children and adults in the U.S. and hundreds of millions of people around the world.
Intellectual disability is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting about 6.5 million people in the U.S. and as many as 200 million people globally.1
About one in 36 children in the U.S. has been identified with autism spectrum disorder. That’s approximately 4% of boys and 1% of girls.2
Other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Angelman syndrome, Rett syndrome or disorders of the corpus callosum, are rarer but still offer their unique obstacles.
Life is challenging for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families due to the constant need to navigate a world that is often unaccommodating and inaccessible. The combination of social stigma, limited support systems and daily struggles with communication, learning, independence or medical conditions like epilepsy or sensory and motor problems can create significant emotional, practical and financial burdens.
The WashU approach
Our world-class researchers are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and expanding the understanding of the brain and nervous system, expanding upon a WashU legacy of pioneering leaps and innovations to identify therapeutic inventions, leading to improved outcomes for people and families affected by neurodevelopmental disorders.
WashU investigations explore two main questions:
- How does experience interact with genes to build the brain?
- How do brain functions emerge?
WashU asks these questions to grasp what goes wrong and how WashU researchers might modify these disorders for better treatments and possible cures.
This basic research is the engine of translation.
An incredible team of investigators
The foundation for better understanding the brain and nervous system mechanisms behind neurodevelopmental disorders is at WashU Medicine. Advancing a history of breakthrough discoveries, Department of Neuroscience experts are striving to unravel the causes of neurodevelopmental disorders and building a path for transformative therapeutics. With expertise in autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities and rare neuro-genetic disorders such as Angelman syndrome, these researchers are striving to tackle the fundamentals behind the disorders. A collection of talented investigators seeking answers to diverse questions is working with skillful collaborators and training the next generation of scientists, using cutting-edge technology, approaching barriers with a computational perspective and tapping into WashU clinical resources to transfer exciting laboratory discoveries to the patient to improve lives.
Valeria Cavalli, PhD
Robert E. and Louise F. Dunn Professor of Biomedical Research
Yao Chen, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
Harrison Gabel, PhD
Associate Professor of Neuroscience
Geoffrey Goodhill, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience & Professor of Developmental Biology
Naoki Hiratani, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
Tristan Qingyun Li, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience & Assistant Professor of Genetics
Hysell Oviedo, PhD
Roger M. Perlmutter Career Development Assistant Professor of Biomedical Research
Linda J. Richards PhD
Chair, Department of Neuroscience and Edison Professor of Neuroscience
Lawrence Salkoff, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience
Jason Yi, PhD
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
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