Discover SPARK
Webinar: Infant Visual Brain Development in Autism
Date Published: March 28, 2024
In this recorded webinar, Dr. Girault presents an overview of what we know about brain development in autism spectrum disorder during infancy, focusing on findings generated by the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network which has studied brain development in younger siblings of children with ASD for nearly 20 years. She presents a body of work demonstrating that the development of the visual system in the brain is linked to behavior, cognition, and family-level markers of genetic liability for autism. Findings are discussed in light of their implications for early detection and intervention, including a description of the IBIS Network’s efforts to develop early prediction tools using MRI and other biomarkers.
Who is Jessica Girault?
Jessica Girault, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and neuroscientist at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities in the University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine. Her research utilizes multimodal neuroimaging to study the dynamic interplay between brain and behavioral development during infancy and toddlerhood. A major focus of her work is to understand how the brain develops during infancy in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.