Funder: Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI)
Role: Nominated Principal Investigator: Dr. Margot Taylor. Co-Investigators: Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, Dr. Jess Brian, Dr. Kristina Safar
Date: 2021 – 2024 (extended to 2025)
Summary: Younger siblings of children with an autism diagnosis (“baby sibs”) are at higher likelihood of receiving an autism diagnosis themselves (approximately 1 in 5), making them a key group for studying the earliest markers of autism. Using our wearable OPM-MEG – which allows young children to move naturally during scans – we can capture brain activity from this population to better understand the development of autism. Children complete tasks such as viewing emotional faces and visual spirals, and the baby sibs are followed up to the point of diagnostic assessment. These data will provide new insights into how neural imbalance emerges in autism.