Genetics and development

Understanding developmental neuroscience and abnormal psychology of genetic conditions

Our research focus

To better understand the developmental neuroscience and abnormal psychology of genetic conditions, our research focuses on single gene mutations where the cause is known.

These conditions include common neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

This approach contrasts with researching these disorders in the general population, where the cause is often unknown.

Research goals

Our research program integrates four main goals:

  1. Characterising symptoms and clinical outcomes: We aim to detail the symptoms and clinical outcomes associated with these genetic conditions.
  2. Identifying novel neuroimaging markers: We work to discover new neuroimaging markers that can aid in diagnosis and treatment.
  3. Disease modelling: Using state-of-the-art laboratory protocols, we model diseases to better understand their progression and impact.
  4. Translating findings into clinical trials: We translate our research findings into disease-directed clinical trials to test new treatments.

Impact of our research

Characterising the neurodevelopmental profile of children with a single gene mutation will enhance our understanding of the difficulties and outcomes associated with these conditions.

Our research has significant implications for developing novel disease modelling and drug screening methods, which will help identify new treatment pathways and stratify patients for clinical trials.

We expect this approach to lead to improved treatment efficacy and more personalised treatment approaches for individuals with these genetic conditions.