Back-translating from clinical trials to neurobiology of disease

Causes of autism remain elusive yet clearly combine genetic, developmental, and environmental factors. A pathway that has received little attention is the anti-oxidative system which plays a key role in cell metabolism.  This talk will focus on the concept of back-translation and will use the oxidative stress hypothesis as a model.  Specifically, the speaker will use data from a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a potent glutathione prodrug, to explore its mechanism of response, and as such attempt to contribute to our understanding of the relationship between oxidative stress and neurobiology of autism.