Little is known about how the brains of autistic children differ from those of other children. In this talk, Joy Hirsch, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine, describes groundbreaking research showing that children with autism have deficiencies in their ability to understand language. She posits that this difference in language processing may be one of the first biological markers of autism.
Joy Hirsch is a Neuroscientist who has made pioneering breakthroughs in understanding the workings of the human brain. She was one of the early developers of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which enables the visualization of the individual brain structures that are engaged during specific tasks such as language, as well as specific perceptions such as vision and hearing, and specific emotions. She is currently a Professor at Columbia University where she is the Director and founder of the university-wide Functional MRI Research Center, and has been recently recruited to Yale University to head a new Brain Function Laboratory. Her research has focused on understanding the relationships between the mind, brain, and behavior, and the translation of these advances to medical applications. With her students and colleagues, she has developed an imaging diagnostic for autism, and discovered neural mechanisms associated with over-eating behaviors, anxiety disorders, and addictions. In addition to these clinical applications, her basic research has made fundamental contributions to understanding the neural basis for learning a second language, and how emotion-sensitive systems in the brain influence cognitive and executive systems during decision-making. Professor Hirsch has published over 120 peer-reviewed scientific papers and chapters, is a popular world-wide lecturer on the brain, and served as a curator for the 2010-2011 Brain Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. She was awarded the prestigious Gamow Science prize in 2009 for her accomplishments in science and was one of the five women scientists featured in the 2011 World Science Festival.
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