Stephen Dager
March 29, 2022
Scientists identify overgrowth of key brain structure in babies who later develop autism
New research from the Infant Brain Imaging Study (IBIS) Network, which includes the University of Washington, finds that the amygdala, an area of the brain critical for interpreting emotions, grows too rapidly in infants who go on to develop autism.
May 7, 2020
Sleep difficulties in the first year of life linked to altered brain development in infants who later develop autism
New research led by the University of Washington finds that sleep problems in a baby’s first 12 months may not only precede an autism diagnosis, but also may be associated with altered growth trajectory in a key part of the brain, the hippocampus.
May 29, 2019
UW, collaborating institutions awarded $9.5 million for detecting autism earlier in childhood
A multicenter research team that includes the University of Washington Autism Center has received a five-year, $9.5 million grant to further evaluate whether brain imaging can help detect very high risk of autism spectrum disorder in early infancy.
February 15, 2017
Predicting autism: Researchers find autism biomarkers in infancy
By using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the brains of infants who have older siblings with autism, scientists were able to correctly identify 80 percent of the babies who would be subsequently diagnosed with autism at 2 years of age.
September 21, 2016
UW team to study baby teeth in effort to identify autism risk factors
University of Washington researchers are part of a national team that will study the baby teeth of children who have siblings with autism to determine if prenatal exposure to chemicals increases their risk of developing the disorder. The study will involve testing children’s teeth for levels of environmental chemicals that they might have been exposed…
April 29, 2015
UW autism center marks 15 years of research and service
When the University of Washington Autism Center opened its doors in 2000, the notion that the disorder could be detected in preschool-aged children was controversial. “We were diagnosing kids between 3 and 4 years of age,” recalled Steve Dager, a UW professor of radiology and the center’s former interim director. “People were still skeptical that…
