Autism research at the EpiCenter
Nearly half of all people with autism have epilepsy, and children with epilepsy are more likely to have autism.
While it is not yet clear how these two conditions are related, there is a lot of evidence to suggest a common neurobiology. For example, epilepsy and autism both involve overly excitable nerve cells, changes at synapses, and there are many genetic conditions that can lead to both epilepsy and autism.
At the EpiCenter, many investigators are working to understand the neurobiology of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, in addition to epilepsy. To facilitate multi-disciplinary team-based research in these areas, the EpiCenter has obtained a collection of unique resources from the UCI Center for Autism Research and Translation (CART). These include patient cell lines, animal models and state-of-the-art neuroscience technologies. The EpiCenter makes these resources available to researchers with the goal of promoting team-based collaborations that maximize use of these precious materials.
Our intent is to accelerate our pace toward a cure for autism and epilepsy, and to overcome traditional roadblocks to the development of autism therapeutics.
Core resources related to autism
Core 1 | Animal models
Although no animal model can fully capture the behavior and genetic complexity of autism, they are incredibly useful for identifying underlying pathophysiological processes, behavioral changes and for testing new treatments. A variety of unique and commercially available mouse models are used by EpiCenter invesitagors studying Angelman syndrome, synaptopathies, Fragile-X syndrome, ion channel disorders, chromatin regulators, environment-induced autism and more.
Core 2 | Optogenetics / EEG
This core provides the ability to use genetically engineered signaling proteins that respond to laser light stimuli to turn on and off neuron activity in culture or inside the brain of a living model animal. This allows exquisite control over brain circuits and is an ideal way to identify key brain correlates of behavior. Sophisticated electrophysiological brain activity can be recorded simultaneously during nerve cell manipulation and animal behavior.
Core 3 | Stem cells
Stem cell-based technologies have transformed our understanding of many nervous system disorders, including autism and epilepsy, by providing direct access to neurons derived from human patients. The EpiCenter maintains a biobank that includes a diverse collection of cell lines, DNA, fibroblasts, induced pluripotent stem cells, and other biomaterials obtained from people with autism. We have established methods for generating specific types of human neurons, and a suite of molecular tools for labeling and manipulating human patient neurons.