Dr. Leanna Hernandez: Genetic Variation and Brain Connectivity of Autism, the Oxytocin Receptor Gene, and Sex- and Diagnosis-Differences

In this episode, we discuss Autism with Dr. Leanna Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA and director of the Hernandez Lab. She is a member of UCLA’s Center for Autism Research and Treatment, Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, and the Brain Research Institute, and serves as Co-Director of the Genetics, Genomics, and Informatics Core for UCLA’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center.

Hernandez Lab https://www.hernandezlabucla.org

Additive effects of oxytocin receptor gene polymorphisms on reward circuitry in youth with autism https://www.nature.com/articles/mp2016209

Imaging-genetics of sex differences in ASD: distinct effects of OXTR variants on brain connectivity https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-0750-9

Oxytocin and Vasopressin and the Autistic Phenotype https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/from-the-spectrum-finding-superpowers-with-autism/id1737499562?i=1000660031273 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAtmC-s1_e0

(0:00) Intro; Dr. Leanna Hernandez

(2:24) Autistic Phenotypes

(4:13) Dr. Hernandez education journey into Autism and the Hernandez Lab

(9:03) 2017 Paper Oxytocin Receptor Gene, Common Genetic Variance, Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP), and Reward and Social Processing and the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc)

(15:10) Differences in Brain Connectivity between Autistics and Non-Autistics

(20:06) Social Cognition, Boy Bias in Autism; GENDAAR Consortium and Sex- and Diagnosis-Differences

(21:48) GENDAAR

(22:45) Boys versus Girls Connectivity involving the NAc with and without Autism

(25:38) Different Connectivity correlated with Different ADOS scores for Repetitive Behaviors

(26:35) Female Protective Effect for Autism; Camouflaging/Masking

(30:19) The Assessment process for Girls and the Oxytocin Receptor Gene Sex Differences and Socialness and understanding the Boy Bias

(32:48) Current Research and a Genome Wide approach and Polygenic Risk Scores

(35:10) Oxytocin and Excitation/Inhibition

(37:08) Sharing Information and Current Research

(41:45) The Future of Autism Research

(45:48) Reviews/Ratings and Contact Info

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