A5024090545- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Infant Health and Development
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Child Development and Digital Technology
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Child and Animal Learning Development
- Early Childhood Education and Development
- Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Birth, Development, and Health
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Resilience and Mental Health
- Voice and Speech Disorders
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
Stanford University
2015-2024
Stanford Medicine
2007-2023
University of California, Davis
1988-2021
University of Michigan
2001-2003
Palo Alto University
2003
King's College London
1996
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by core social deficits. Prognosis poor, in part, because existing medications target only associated ASD features. Emerging evidence suggests that the neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) may be a blood-based biomarker of functioning and possible treatment for ASD. However, prior OXT trials have produced equivocal results, perhaps variability patients' underlying biology, but this hypothesis has not been tested. Using double-blind, randomized,...
Significance The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) is critically involved in mammalian social functioning, and initial clinical research suggests that OXT biology may be altered individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here we provide important evidence blood concentrations are highly heritable within families, yet also strongly predict functioning ASD children, their unaffected siblings, healthy control children. These findings extend to receptor genotypes which significantly associated...
In humans, consolidation of wakefulness into a single episode can be modeled as the interaction two processes, homeostatic "hour-glass" wake signal that declines throughout daytime and circadian wake-promoting peaks in evening. Hypocretins, novel hypothalamic neuropeptides are dysfunctional sleep disorder narcolepsy, may involved expression signal. Hypocretins (orexins) peptides, but their role normal human physiology has yet to determined. We examined daily temporal pattern hypocretin-1...
The stress inoculation hypothesis presupposes that brief intermittent exposure early in life induces the development of subsequent resistance human and nonhuman primates. Rodent studies, however, suggest a role for maternal care rather than per se (i.e., mediation hypothesis). To investigate these two hypotheses, we examined after to infant (IS), mother–infant (MIS), or no (NS) protocols administered 30 monkeys between postnatal weeks 17 27. Unlike rodents, IS condition did not permanently...
Background: Retrospective studies in humans have identified characteristics that promote stress resistance, including childhood exposure to moderately stressful events (ie, inoculation).Objective: Because of limited opportunities for prospective children, we tested whether moderate early life produces later resistance a primate model. Design and Main Outcome Measures:Twenty squirrel monkeys were randomized intermittent inoculation (IS; n = 11) or nonstress control condition (NS; n=9) from...
Intranasal delivery of the neuropeptide vasopressin improves social abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental characterized by restricted, stereotyped behaviors and impairments in social communication. Although the underlying biological mechanisms of ASD remain poorly understood, recent preclinical research has implicated endogenous cannabinoid (or endocannabinoid), anandamide, as significant neuromodulator rodent models ASD. Despite this promising evidence, no clinical studies to date have tested whether endocannabinoids are dysregulated...
Abstract In the mid‐1950s, Levine and his colleagues reported that brief intermittent exposure to early life stress diminished indications of subsequent emotionality in rats. Here we review ongoing studies a similar process squirrel monkeys. Results from these animal models suggest promotes development arousal regulation resilience. Implications for programs designed enhance resilience human are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 52: 616–624, 2010.
Oxytocin is widely believed to be present and structurally identical in all placental mammals. Here, we report that multiple species of New World monkeys possess a novel form oxytocin, [P8] oxytocin. This mutation arises from substitution leucine proline amino acid position 8. Further analysis this Saimiri sciureus (squirrel monkey) indicates oxytocin transcribed translated properly. specific as the peptide sequence for arginine vasopressin, related nonapeptide, unaltered. These findings...
Brain arginine vasopressin (AVP) critically regulates normative social behavior in mammals, and experimental disruption of the AVP signaling pathway produces impairments rodent models. We therefore hypothesized that deficits may contribute to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Since blood measures (which are far easier obtain than brain measures) most meaningful if they related activity, Study 1 tested relationship between concentrations concomitantly collected CSF samples from...
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by core social impairments. ASD remains poorly understood because of the difficulty in studying disease biology directly patients and reliance on mouse models that lack clinically relevant, complex cognition abilities. We use ethological observations rhesus macaques to identify male monkeys with naturally occurring low sociality. These showed differences specific neuropeptide kinase signaling pathways compared...