ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS in NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

August 25 & 26th, 2005
Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland

Speaker Biographies

DAY ONE: 

8:00 INTRODUCTION:

►Ken Olden (Introduction and charge to participants)
►Jeff Segal (Moderator) 

8:10 APPRAISING EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES OF THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN AUTISM: What are the most robust findings and what are the evidentiary gaps?

►Mark Blaxill (Time trends)
►Ray Palmer (GIS studies)

8:50 GENERAL PROPERTIES OF TOXINS AND RELEVANCE TO MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICITY:

What aspects of toxins such as mercury (dose, species/form, route of administration, chemical properties) are important to neurotoxicity? What do we know about distribution and excretion of different forms of mercury? By what pathways might exposures to heavy metals or other environmental agents lead to neurodevelopmental damage?

►Ellen Silbergeld (Mechanisms)
►Tom Burbacher (Non human primates)
►Anna Choi (humans)

10:00 MORNING BREAK

10:15 STRUCTURAL AND CELLULAR RESPONSES TO TOXINS IN THE CNS:

How do neurons, microglia, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes respond to toxic exposures? What do we know about specific effects of mercury species on these cell types?

►David Baskin (Apoptosis)
►Wolfgang Streit (Microglial activation)
►Jay Charleston (General CNS pathology)

11:30 GENE-ENVIRONMENT-TIMING INTERACTIONS IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS:

What genes can exacerbate CNS damage after exposure to environmental agents? How might maturation influence gene expression?

►Mady Hornig (Animal models)
►Ian Lipkin (Cohort investigations)

12:15 WORKING BAG-LUNCH PANEL DISCUSSION WITH MORNING PRESENTERS

1:00 METABOLIC PATHWAYS INFLUENCING HOST RESPONSES TO TOXINS:

What biochemical mechanisms are most prominently affected by toxins such as mercury? Is there evidence to suggest that these mechanisms are specifically altered in autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders?

►Boyd Haley (Heavy metals)
►Richard Deth (Methylation)

2:00 CLINICAL FINDINGS IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

►Martha Herbert (Structural brain imaging)
►Diana Vargas (Post mortem brain analysis)
►Jill James (Antioxidant/transsulfuration, methylation)
►Jeff Bradstreet (Heavy metals)
►Elizabeth Mumper (Case studies)

4:30 PANEL-DISCUSSION/QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

DAY TWO:  

8:00 RESEARCH APPROACHES IN DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROTOXICOLOGY:

►Cindy Lawler (Current programs [RFAs, PAs, centers] and funded investigations)

8:30 CREATING A ROADMAP FOR INVESTIGATIONS INTO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS- BRAINSTORMING SESSION

►Ken Olden   With what conceptual framework may we approach the current data and prioritize future research goals? 

11:30  CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS: Open discussion with NIH Directors, participants and observers regarding strategies for implementation

12:30  ADJOURN 

Sponsored by The Coalition for Safe Minds and the National Autism Association
Through a Generous Contribution from NIEHS.