The M.I.N.D. Institute: Searching for a Cure for Autism

There are many issues being heavily debated today related to the emotional and developmental health of children. Parents wonder about the role vaccines may plan in their child’s health. Researchers study ways in which pharmaceutical affect brain function. Biologists study toxic substances that may play a part in neurodevelopmental disorders. The realm of neurological medicine is a vast and largely unexplored one, but there is hope on the horizon for new treatments, new understandings of cause and effect, and possible cures.

The Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (M.I.N.D.) Institute at UC Davis is a multidisciplinary research group that is a combined effort by families, physicians, researchers, biologists, educators, and medical administrators who are collaborating to unlock the complex mysteries of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism. The staff and faculty of the M.I.N.D. Institute are nationally-known doctors and clinicians who collaborate as a team to conduct research and assessments of children who have developmental disorders due to neurological conditions. Staffers work hard to keep informed about cutting-edge developments in their individual fields of expertise. They are committed to developing advanced treatments for autism and fragile X, and researching various learning disorders.

Recent advances in molecular biology, pharmacology, genetics, neurology, and behavioral sciences are helping researchers make inroads into understanding how the brain works. The M.I.N.D. Institute uses these studies and findings to conduct exhaustive research of their own on specific disorders. The Institute is uniquely positioned to conduct this research because of their association with UC Davis, which offers comprehensive educational programs in medicine, toxicology, biology, and environmental sciences. Their research programs have led to exciting contributions in study areas including biomarkers, synapse formation, startle responses, gene therapy that affects the brain, models for autism, functions of the genes related to fragile X, and the epidemiology related to autism.

The Institute supports and encourages the removal of thimerosal from vaccines and urges parents to make specific requests for vaccines that are free of thimerosal. There are plenty of alternatives available for preserving vaccines and all standard vaccines for children are available in thimerosal-free versions, so parents should be aware of the need to specifically request those vaccines for their children. Another caution the Institute encourages parents to consider is the fact that the toxicity of mercury is still an uncertain issue, so infants in particular should not be exposed to mercury, even the organic mercury found in certain fish.

The M.I.N.D. Institute was initially launched with support from the government in California, and they have received funding as well from the UC Davis medical center. Leaders initially focused research on a handful of neurodevelopmental disorders, but they soon realized that autism is an increasingly serious problem and interdisciplinary research on this condition is critical. Although, autism is their primary focus, they also have research studies and protocols currently in place for helping patients with fragile X syndrome, ADHD, language disabilities, epilepsy, learning disabilities, and other disorders.

Given the lack of useful information about neurodevelopmental disorders, the focused research of the M.I.N.D. Institute is critical to understanding the causes of these disorders in order to develop effective treatments - and hopefully, cures.