October 14, 2016
Helen Bateup, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology at UC Berkeley, was awarded a NARSAD Young Investigator grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.
Project Summary
Bateup will examine the role of neurons that release dopamine, and their critical role in behavioral flexibility, motor control, and social cognition, in leading to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Dr. Bateup’s team will use a genetic mouse model of ASD to test how mutations to the risk gene Tsc1 affect the physiology and activity of dopamine neurons. They will also study how changes in neuronal activity alter behavior in ways relevant to ASD.