Early Roles of SYNGAP1 in Neurodevelopment: Insights from a Top Autism Risk Gene

Early Roles of SYNGAP1 in Neurodevelopment: Insights from a Top Autism Risk Gene

Author: UCTV July 6, 2026 Duration: 28:48
Human brain organoids help researchers study neurodevelopmental disorders that are difficult to examine directly in developing brain tissue. Giorgia Quadrato, USC, uses cortical organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells to examine SYNGAP1, an autism risk gene associated in the transcript with intellectual disability, epilepsy, and global developmental delay. Quadrato describes how SYNGAP1 appears in progenitor cells as well as neurons, and how SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency is linked to disrupted radial glia organization, altered cell division, and faster maturation of cortical projection neurons. She also discusses newer work focused on enteric neurons, gastrointestinal symptoms, and gut motility. By connecting brain development, autism genetics, and the enteric nervous system, this research points to models that may help test therapies and better understand symptoms that affect families. Series: "Autism Tree Project Annual Neuroscience Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 41174]

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Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

University of California Video Podcasts (Video)
Podcast Episodes
Sleep in Children with Neurodevelopmental Differences [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Dr. Althea Robinson Shelton, Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses sleep in children with neurodevelop…
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Duration: 1:51:39
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The Decision in History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59:39
Decision-making in history affects how societies understand power, responsibility, and change. Sir Christopher Clark, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, explains how narratives turn moments of de…
What is a Decision? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:55:28
Political decision-making affects governments and societies in important ways. Sir Christopher Clark, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, explains how choices become decisions within political, le…
Menopause and Healthy Aging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Janelle Iglesias on Art Identity and Collaboration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:15
Art can connect personal history, community, and social change. Janelle Iglesias, Assistant Professor of Studio Art at UC San Diego, traces her path from a multicultural childhood in Queens to anthropology, ceramics, scu…
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Duration: 45:55
With the success of Artemis II, NASA is preparing for humanity’s return to the Moon through the ambitious Artemis Project. In this lecture, Professor Neil Farber explores the future Artemis missions, the spacecraft and t…