‘Neuroimaging at the dawn of integrative brain function’

Evan Stuart Balaban, Juan José Vaquero López, Celso Arango López.

Studying the developmental origins of integrative brain function may provide vital clues for understanding early-appearingdevelopmental disorders such as autism, as well as later-emerging brain disorders such as schizophrenia.

Using a novel animal model (bird embryos) and new molecular imaging systems (PET, CAT and high-resolution MRI), the project will seek to elucidate the role that premature or excess sensory stimulation plays in normal brain development, identify when integrative brain function is first seen before birth, and examine mechanisms that appear to protect infant brains from ischemic damage during the low oxygen conditions associated with the transition to air breathing.