If Clay's death could contribute in some little way to a meaningful increase in our knowledge of this terrible disease, Mary and I would be so proud. Marshall Bassett, reflecting on his late son Clay's brain donation Autism research is advancing on many fronts. Neurological, developmental and genetic studies are revealing specific areas of the brain and specific chromosomes that are involved in this neurodevelopmental disorder.
Brain tissue is needed.
Critical basic research is lagging behind because of a scarcity of brain tissue for autism research. So far, researchers have documented irregularities in several brain areas. The next step is a comprehensive, comparative investigation of brain areas and brain development with the new techniques now available. Without this tissue, studies that could lead to the treatment, and the eventual cure, of autism cannot be done. With brain tissue, scientists can go far beyond the limits of other technologies and study autism at a cellular and molecular level.