August 2010 • No.

5 • From the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

Dennis Choi, Marian Carlson join Simons Foundation leadership

Simons Simplex Collection releases copy number variant scans
Norway baby study expected to yield insights into autism
Workshop report: Neural circuits
Kevin Pelphrey: Charting the course of the social brain
Fragile X models give clues to stem cell programming

Dennis Choi, Marian Carlson join Simons Foundation leadership

We're pleased to announce the appointment of two distinguished scientists, Dennis Choi, M.D., Ph.D.
and Marian Carlson, Ph.D. Choi has been named executive vice-president of the foundation and Carlson
has been named deputy director of life sciences.

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Simons Simplex Collection releases copy number variant scans

The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative is pleased to announce that the full raw genetic data
scans for copy number variants from its Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) are now available to the
scientific community. This data is being released in advance of publication so that qualified researchers
may make immediate use of this new resource.

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Norway baby study expected to yield insights into autism

The Autism Birth Cohort, based on data from 100,000 Norwegian children and
their families, aims to uncover genetic and environmental factors contributing
to the disorder.

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Workshop report: Neural circuits
Many recent advances in autism have been on the genetic and behavioral levels
of dysfunction present in the disorder. Comparatively little is known about
altered function in the underlying neural circuitry. Aiming to generate
discussion on the best avenues to pursue in order to better understand the
circuitry in autism, SFARI held a one-day workshop.

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Kevin Pelphrey: Charting the course of the social brain

With robust training in developmental psychology and a techie's fervor for new
tools, Kevin Pelphrey is systematically investigating how the brain changes
during development — starting in infants as young as 6 weeks old.

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Fragile X models give clues to stem cell programming

Not all stem cells are created equal, a string of new studies suggests: adult cells
that are reprogrammed into stem cells carry chemical remnants of the tissue
from which they originate, making them distinct from embryonic stem cells.
These differences may have important implications for studying fragile X
syndrome and other diseases that arise from epigenetic glitches.

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