Specific Aims of the Cerebellum and Autism Spectrum Disorder in Prematurity (CAP) Study
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a common neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD), describes a heterogenous group of chronic syndromes accounting for considerable disability. The extreme heterogeneity of individuals diagnosed with the condition poses enormous challenges for identifying etiology, pathophysiology, and mechanism-specific treatments. This proposal seeks to identify a novel biomarker for ASD by linking neurodevelopmental outcomes, genetics, and neural circuits, transforming understanding of ASD pathophysiology, with the potential to lead to development of biological substrate-targeted treatments for ASD.