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School of Neuroscience

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

Autism spectrum disorder

Many genetic alterations can cause autism spectrum disorder and related intellectual disabilities, however we are yet to understand how this happens. We combine models with clinical observations to study how specific mutations change cells and their connections, and how this affects behaviour. The effect of these cellular and neural network alterations are studied to find ways to gain insights into this complex condition.

Our key questions:

What are the disease mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder?
Are there different gene mutations disrupting a final common pathway during brain development?
How do genes code the wiring diagram of the developing brain? And how is this disrupted in autism spectrum disorder?
How can we link clinical observations with cellular and neural network alterations caused by specific mutations in autism spectrum disorder?

Autism spectrum disorder is a key research theme of the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, which brings together world-leading researchers across King's College London.

Click people profiles to discover their research:

Professor Laura Andreae

Professor of Developmental Neuroscience
Professor Benedikt Berninger

Professor of Developmental Neurobiology
Professor Juan Burrone

Professor of Developmental Neurophysiology
Dr Sam Cooke

Senior Lecturer in Neurobiology of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Professor Uwe Drescher

Professor for Molecular Neuroscience
Professor Corinne Houart

Professor of Developmental Neurobiology
Dr Katie Long

Research Fellow
Professor Oscar Marín

Professor of Neuroscience
Dr Andrew Meso

Senior Lecturer in Computational Neuroscience
Professor Beatriz Rico

Professor of Developmental Neurobiology
Dr Setsuko Sahara

Lecturer
Professor Deepak Srivastava

Professor of Molecular Neuroscience
Professor Richard Wingate

Professor of Developmental Neurobiology

Early life and development

Neuroscience and mental health

News and events

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13 December 2024

DNA Markers Influence Gene Expression in Different Cells and Tissues

A new study reveals key insight into how gene expression is regulated in health and disease.

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12 December 2024

Laura Andreae awarded a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant to uncover the rules behind neuronal development

The project Neuronal Trees: Linking Biology to Models looks at how neurons develop their complex…

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12 December 2024

CircadiAgeing Research Programme Awarded £4.4 million by BBSRC

The inter-university programme will look into the role of circadian rhythms in ageing through…

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11 December 2024

Professor Robert Hindges delivers inaugural lecture "With an Eye on the Brain"

On 4 December 2024, Professor Hindges gave his inaugural lecture as a Professor of Developmental…