Autism: Understanding the Causes and Developing Effective Treatments

Dr. Crawley’s laboratory focuses on the development and translational application of mouse models of autism spectrum disorders to test hypotheses about how autism develops and to evaluate potential pharmacological treatments. As candidate genes associated with autism spectrum disorders are identified, mice with targeted mutations in these genes are being generated. Model organisms offer useful translational tools to test hypotheses about single genes, chromosomal locus deletions, copy number variants, methylation and other epigenetic mechanisms (environmentally induced changes in gene regulation), neuroanatomical abnormalities, environmental toxins, diets, immune dysfunctions, and other proposed causes of autism. Her laboratory team is evaluating pharmacological interventions like mGluR5 and AMPA receptor modulators for therapeutic improvements in the social, communication, and repetitive behavior domains using mouse models.

Before joining the UC Davis, Dr. Crawley was the Chief of Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, at the Intramural Research Program at the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH).