PLOS Science Wednesday: Hi Reddit, we’re Joel and Charlotte, and in our
PLOS ONE study we identified an EEG signature that may help guide
clinical research into autism and other neurological conditions
impacting children – Ask Us Anything!
Abstract
Hi Reddit, My name is Joel Frohlich and I am a neuroscience PhD student
at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the lab of Dr.
Shafali Jeste. My research uses “brain waves” or neural oscillations
to identify quantitative, biological markers (biomarkers) of autism and
neurodevelopmental disorders. These biomarkers can be used to guide
treatment or inform outcomes in patients. Our lab places electrodes on
the scalp to measure neural oscillations in children, a technique known
as EEG. My name is Charlotte DiStefano and I am a postdoctoral fellow
and clinical instructor at UCLA. My research focuses on cognitive and
language development in children with neurodevelopment disorders,
including autism spectrum disorder and related neurogenetic disorders.
We recently published a paper titled “A Quantitative
Electrophysiological Biomarker of Duplication 15q11.2-q13.1 Syndrome”
in PLOS ONE. Dup15q syndrome is a neurogenetic disorder caused by
partial duplications of chromosome 15. It is one of the most common
genetic duplications that causes autism spectrum disorder, and it also
confers high risk for epilepsy (i.e., seizures) and intellectual
disability (ID). We used EEG to measure a particular frequency of neural
oscillation called beta in children with Dup15q syndrome and found that
beta oscillations distinguish children with the disorder from other
children with autism and ID, as well as healthy children. Remarkably,
this EEG signature looks just like the EEG signature seen when a person
takes benzodiazepine drugs that bind to and modulate inhibitory
neurotransmitter receptors called GABA_A receptors. Because several
genes that encode these receptors are duplicated in Dup15q syndrome, we
think that this EEG signature might be indicative of GABA_A receptor
subunit expression. For this reason, the EEG signature we’ve identified
might be useful for guiding clinical trials that target these
neurotransmitter receptors. My colleagues and I will be answering your
questions at 1pm EST (10am PST). We’re looking forward to discussing our
work with these awesome kids. Ask Us Anything! Don’t forget to follow
Joel Frohlich on Twitter @joel_frohlich.