A multifaceted approach aims to detect, treat and even reverse the disorder

Medical Xpress • January 6, 2017June 29, 2022

The Kroll lab has figured out not only how to create neurons, but also to create neuron types that perform specific functions. These types — cortical excitatory neurons and inhibitory neurons — often are abnormal in patients with autism. This process includes a specific chemical treatment to generate these types of neurons in a Petri dish. In this case, populations of neurons are derived from the cells of the Sebenoler family. From left, Kristen Kroll, PhD, associate professor of developmental biology, and postdoctoral fellow Kesavan Meganathan, PhD. Credit: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Like many patients visiting a doctor’s office, Kim Sebenoler started out her appointment by heading to the nearest restroom to give a urine sample. But her visit to the lab of John Constantino, MD, director of the William Greenleaf Eliot Division of Child Psychiatry, was not a typical exam. The goal was not to measure proteins in her urine or check her overall wellness.