CAMPOS Research Colloquium - Veronica Martinez-Cerdeno - October 5, 2022

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that does not have a cure and for which a distinct pathology has not been found. Current treatments for autism target associated symptoms but not the condition itself. To develop a cure it is imperative that we first determine the brain pathology. We work towards determining pathology, and we have discovered many properties of the brain with autism. Specifically, we found an increase of excitatory pyramidal cells in the upper layers of the cerebral cortex, a decreased number of Chandelier (Ch) cells in the cortex, a decreased number of cartridges, a decreased amount of neurotransmitter receptors in the pyramidal cell axon initial segment-target of Ch cells synapses and a reduced Ch

bouton size–indicating a decrease in the number of synapsis per bouton in autism. These findings mean that there is an alteration in the excitatory and inhibitory systems in autism.