Empowered Patient Podcast

This is a conversation with Dr. David Amaral, a distinguished professor at the MIND Institute and scientific director of Autism BrainNet, and Dorothy Frisch, an activist and supporter of the program. Autism BrainNet is funded by the Simons Foundation to collect and study postmortem brain samples from individuals with autism to understand the neurological basis of the disorder better. Currently, there are no biomarkers for autism, so studying the brains and accomplishments of those who had autism can lead to a better understanding of the abilities and challenges seen on the autism spectrum. David explains, "We went to the Simons Foundation and, with their support, have established a network in the United States. We have three collection sites: one at the UC Davis Mind Institute in Sacramento, one at UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas, and one at the Mass General Hospital in Boston, where a postmortem brain donation can be sent. Those brains are then prepared in ways that will facilitate all kinds of research bot