Such findings could help future work on prevention and treatment of autism. The MIND Institute, which at this point operates out of research labs and clinics on campus and at the medical center, also has funded research looking for links between brain disorders and a child's immune system. Dr. Robin Hansen, a UC Davis pediatric specialist, will look at blood samples from 150 newborns later diagnosed with autism, cerebral palsy and mental retardation. She will compare them to samples from 50 children without the disorders, looking for prenatal infections, blood clotting problems or other abnormalities that may be associated with the disorders. The research is needed to sort out the theories and offer autistic children and their parents hope, she said.
Parents are so overloaded with information that is really unsubstantiated.
Anders predicts that within two years the university's MIND Institute will be on the cutting edge of research into disorders of the brain. It is that complicated an illness. Let us hear from you.