Biomarkers and brain imaging at UCSF
BIOMARKERS: The Brain Development Research Program is recruiting children ages 1-5 who have been diagnosed with autism, children who are considered at-risk for ASD (either a younger sibling of a child with ASD or a toddler suspected of developmental delay), and typically developing volunteers to serve as control participants.
The study looks at biochemical changes in the blood that may help diagnose and treat ASD at a younger age. Study participation will include a visit to UCSF for a blood draw, cognitive testing, and completion of neuropsychological surveys. Visits will range from 2-4 hours with some time completing surveys at home. All participants will be compensated $60 for completing the questionnaires and in-person cognitive testing, $20 for the blood draw, and parking at the UCSF campus will be covered by the study.
BRAIN IMAGING: The lab is also seeking children 6-18 to participate in a research study on brain imaging. We are recruiting both controls without autism and those with a diagnosis of autism to participate in a brain scan in an MRI machine in order to better understand the connection between certain protein pathways and ASD.
The study looks at protein pathways that may regulate ASD in connection to head size. It involves three visits to UCSF campuses. To participate, your child must have a head in the 90th percentile and above, or 10th percentile and below. Participation includes a blood draw, in-person testing, completion of neuropsychological surveys, a one- hour brain scan in an MRI machine, and an MEG scan.
Visits will range from 4-8 hours with some time completing surveys at home. All participants will be compensated $20 for the blood draw, $30 for in person testing and assessments, $30 for completion of neuropsychological surveys, and $60 for brain imaging. Parking at the UCSF campuses will be covered by the study.
Learn more:
Website: https://brain.ucsf.edu/research-studies
Research coordinator: Talia.Berson@ucsf.edu
Innovative way to study autism neurons at Stanford
Their study turns blood cells into neurons. They do this magic via a technique called human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs). It's an innovative way to learn more about how the brain works in ASD.
Participation entails a blood draw, a cognitive test, some standardized observation and a diagnostic interview with a parent. It takes 1 to 2 hours.
They will reimburse you $85 to cover travel expenses, lunch etc, associated with your participation. If you are interested, please contact research coordinator Deanna Shinksy at 650-704-3387, or dshinsky@stanford.edu
Also, you can contact Dr. Hallmayer at 650-724-6593 (or email joachimh@stanford.edu) or Dr. Ruth O'Hara at 650-796-2720 (or email roh@stanford.edu) if you have any questions you would like to discuss with them.
World's largest autism genomic database
Learn more: https://sparkforautism.org/