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The M.I.N.D. Institute's Cognitive Analysis and Brain Imaging Laboratory (CABIL, pronounced "cable") is directed by Dr. Tony J. Simon and funded by the National Institutes of Health. CABIL's mission is to investigate, explain and eventually treat the impairments in cognitive function experienced by children with neurodevelopmental disorders. 

The cognitive analysis part of our research involves developing theory-driven experiments that are presented to children as computer games. These experiments test the functioning of specific brain circuits under different conditions and predict characteristic patterns of performance depending on how well the system is functioning. The brain imaging part of our research is achieved using safe, radiation-free neuroimaging methods to characterize the changes in brain development that affect the neural structure, connectivity and function of such children. Knowing how the brains of children with neurodevelopmental disorders differs from those of their typically developing peers helps us to generate possible explanations for the impairments in cognitive function. 

The long-term goal of our work is to develop a range of intervention techniques that we hope will reduce or even eliminate many of the cognitive and intellectual difficulties that present challenges to children with neurodevelopmental disorders. To find out more about what an actual CABIL research experience is like, click here.

Currently our major research focuses on children and young adults with chromosome 22q11.2 deletions (also known as Velocardiofacial or DiGeorge syndromes), and children adults with mutations of the fragile X gene. We also, study boys with Klinefelter syndrome and girls with XXX syndrome. To find out more about our research projects, including the opportunity for your child to participate, please click here.

• Dr. Simon awarded $2.6 million grant to advance new research. Click here for more details.
• Slides and videos of presentations at the 2009 CABIL/Elwyn Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Family Meeting held March 7th and 8th, 2009 are now available. Click here to find them. Adobe Flash is required to view videos.
• Tony Simon appointed Associate Editor of American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental DIsabilities
• New email address for all contacts about studies. Send email to cabil@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

Tony J. Simon, Ph.D. - Director. 

Kathy Angkustsiri, M.D. Assistant Professor of Pediatrics — Kathy received her B.A. in psychology with a minor in Human Biology from Stanford University.  She attended New York University for her medical training and completed a pediatric residency at Children's Hospital Oakland.  Her research interests include dysmorphology in children with autism and other developmental disabilities.  Dr. Angkustsiri carries out research and provides clinical assessments for the chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome children involved in the CABIL research studies.

Elliott A. Beaton, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar — Elliott earned his Ph.D. at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour in 2005.  He was an FSORC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and the Brain, Body Institute at McMaster University prior to coming to the M.I.N.D. Institute in September of 2007.  Elliott's research at the M.I.N.D. is aimed at trying to better understand how biological, social, and emotional factors interact over the lifespan to increase or decrease the likelihood of mental and physical illness in children with genetic disorders such as chromosome 22q11.2 deletion, Fragile X, and Turner syndromes.

Margie Cabaral, B.S. Junior Specialist — Margie received her degree in Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior with a minor in Art History from the University of California, Davis in 2007. Margie’s interest in neuroscience began when she volunteered as a P.E. leader for a k-3rd grade special education class in her hometown from 2001-2002. Since then she has volunteered for Salinas Valley Special Olympics and has curated an exhibit at UCD featuring artwork from the M.I.N.D. She has volunteered/worked for the M.I.N.D. for over 2 years and has been a CABIL team member since June 2006.

Janice Enriquez Ph.D. Psychologist - Janice is a licensed clinical psychologist who earned B.S. degrees in psychology and biochemistry from U.C. Davis. She obtained her PhD from Loma Linda University in clinical psychology with an emphasis on pediatric psychology and minor in neuropsychology. Dr. Enriquez completed her clinical training, including postdoctoral fellowship, at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and the U.C. Davis CAARE Center. Her clinical and research interests include developmental and neuropsychological functioning of children in various populations, including craniofacial disorders, particularly chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, developmental disabilities, accidental and nonaccidental trauma, and abuse. She currently conducts translational research assessments for children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome as part of Dr. Simon's study.

Naomi Goodrich-Hunsaker, Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar - Naomi received her B.S. in Psychology with minors in German and Philosophy from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2005, followed by a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah in 2009.  In 2009, Naomi joined the CABIL team as a postdoctoral scholar within the NeuroTherapeutic Research Institute.  Naomi’s research involves understanding and quantifying how variations in the mutation of a single gene (FMR1) produce a spectrum of cognitive dysfunction across various domains in both child and adults with Fragile X syndrome and Fragile X-associated Tremor / Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS).  Naomi is also developing and using state-of-the-art murine neuroimaging methods to study brain development in murine models of FXTAS, with the goal of comparing and contrasting behavioral and imaging data from the human and mouse models of FXTAS.

Ingrid Leckliter, PhD. Psycghologist - Ingrid is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in developmental neuropsychology.  She has more than 20 years of experience providing clinical services to children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families. She earned her PhD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1984 and completed post-doctoral training in clinical neuropsychology at Oregon Health Sciences University in 1986.  Learning disorders are an area of particular interest to her.  Dr. Leckliter is committed to helping families understand their child’s unique strengths and cope with their child's special needs. This process enhances the child and parent relationship, thereby supporting the child's emotional coping skills, and his or her functioning in society.

Y Bella McLennan B.S. Junior Specialist — Bella received her B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior from UC Davis in 2008.  She decided to pursue a career in science after her second year in college, switching from journalism. Since then, she has had experience working for three years in a laboratory at the Center of Neuroscience in Davis studying underlying dysfunctional molecular mechanisms in schizophrenia. In addition she spent 6 months interning at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC studying the effects of calcium and bone density in African American Children along with another study concerning the risks of radiation involved in children who undergo CT scans after suffering Traumatic Brain Injury.  Bella has been a part of the CABIL team on the NeuroTherapeutics Research Institute fragile X project since June 2008.

Marisol Q. Mendoza, M.A. Study Coordinator — Marisol received her B.A. from Sacramento State, and her M.A. in Sociology from New Mexico State University. Her interests and experience involves health-related research studies. One longitudinal research project that Ms. Mendoza was involved in included women with histories of mental illnesses/disorders, abuse/trauma, and drug and alcohol use/abuse. In 2005, Marisol began her tenure with UC Davis in the Dept. of Nutrition where she coordinated and managed clinical studies from the effects of sugar consumption, to the consumption of soy isoflavones to reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women. Marisol is excited to be working as Clinical Coordinator for all of Dr. Simon's studies and be part of the CABIL team. 

Heather Shapiro, B.A. Graduate Student Researcher — Heather earned a degree in neuroscience with a minor in dance at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY in 2005.  In the fall of 2008, she joined the CABIL lab as a graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Group at UC Davis.  Heather will be investigating neural substrates underlying cognitive control in children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and other developmental disabilities.

Joel Johnson Stoddard, M.D. Psychiatrist/Postdoctoral Fellow — Joel earned a degree in biology with a minor in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1998, followed by a medical doctorate at the University of California, San Francisco in 2004, and recently completed a psychiatry residency at the University of California, Davis. Joel is investigating the relationship between the risk of psychosis, neurocognition, and brain anatomy in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Siddharth Srivastava (Sid), Ph.D. Postdoctoral Scholar - Sid received his Bachelors in Science (BSc) in Computer Science and Physics from the University of Allahabad in India, and pursued Masters in Science from The School of Physical Sciences (SPSS) from JNU, India, followed by a Masters in Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. Subsequently, he received his PhD from the Department of Electrical engineering, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven (KUL), Belgium in 2005, contributing to automatic detection of Malformations of Cortical Development in the human brain causing epilepsy, in close association with the Department of Radiology and Neurosurgery. For his post-doctoral work, he was affiliated to the Department of Neurophysiology, KUL, Belgium, investigating 3D shape coding in the macaque brain using extra-cellular recording techniques, This work was performed under the aegis of the Neurobotics research initiative. Since September 2008, he has been a member of the CABIL team. He is currently investigating structural, morphometric and connectivity in correlation with cognition and behavior, in brains of individuals with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion, and fragile-X, using structural and diffusion weighted imaging modalities.

Ling M. Wong, B.S. Graduate Student Researcher - Ling earned a degree in Human Biology with a specialization in Brain and Behavior from Brown University in Providence, RI in 2006.  After garnering experience in cognitive neuroscience research, she joined the CABIL team in the summer of 2009 as a graduate student in the UC Davis Neuroscience Graduate Group.  Ling will be investigating attention, memory, and executive functions in individuals with Fragile X and other developmental disorders.

Alumni and Collaborators

Carrie Bearden, Ph.D. — University of California, Los Angeles

Joel Bish, Ph.D. — Ursinus College

Christine Godwin, B.S. 

Michele Mazzocco, Ph.D. — Kennedy Krieger Institute

Vy Nguyen, B.A.

Tracy Riggins (DeBoer), Ph.D. — University of Maryland

Judith Ross, M.D. — Thomas Jefferson University

Yukari Takarae, Ph.D.

Nicole Tartaglia, M.D.

Yufeng Qin, B.S. 

Zhongle Wu, Ph.D.

Recent Publications:

• Takarae, Y., Schmidt, L., Tassone, F., Simon, T.J. (2009) Catechol-O-methyltransferase polymorphism modulates cognitive control in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience 9, 83-90.  Get PDF   

• Simon, T.J., Wu, Z., Avants, B., Zhang, H., Gee, J.C., Stebbins, G.T. (2008) Atypical Cortical Connectivity and Visuospatial Cognitive Impairments are Related in Children with Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 4: 25.  Get PDF   
  
• Simon, T.J. (2008) A New Account of the Neurocognitive Foundations of Impairments in Space, Time and Number Processing in Children with Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews. 14, 52-58.  Get PDF   
  
• Simon, T.J., Takarae, Y., DeBoer, T.L., McDonald-McGinn, D.M., Zackai, E.H., Ross, J.L. (2008) Overlapping Numerical Cognition Impairments In Children With Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Or Turner Syndromes. Neuropsychologia, 46, 82-94.  Get PDF   
  
• DeBoer, T., Wu, Z., Lee., A., Simon, T.J. (2007) Hippocampal volume reduction in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is associated with cognitive impairment. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 3:54 (23 Oct 2007)   Get PDF   
  
• Cutler-Landsman, D., Simon, T.J., & Kates, W.R. (2007) Introduction to education and the neurocognitive profile. In Cutler-Landsman, D. (Ed). Practical Handbook for Educating Children with Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome and Other Developmental Disabilities. Plural Publishing, San Diego, CA.  Get PDF   
  
• Bish, J.P., Chiodo, R., Mattei, V., Simon, T.J. (2007) Domain specific attentional impairments in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Brain and Cognition. Get PDF   
  
• Simon, T.J., Burg-Malki, M., & Gothelf, D. (2007) Cognitive and behavioral characteristics of children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion. (in press) In M.M.M. Mazzocco & J.L. Ross (Eds.) Neurogenetic Developmental Disorders: Manifestation and Identification in Childhood. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Get PDF   
  
• Machado, A.M.C., Simon, T.J., Nguyen, V., McDonald-McGinn, D.M., Zackai, E.H., Gee, J.C. Corpus callosum morphology and ventricular size in chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. (2007) Brain Research    Get PDF   
  
• Bearden C.E., van Erp, T.G., Dutton, R.A., Tran, H., Zimmerman, L., Sun, D., Geaga, J., Simon, T.J., Glahn, D.C., Emanuel, B.S., Cannon, T.D., Toga, A.W., & Thompson, P.W. (2006) Mapping cortical thickness in children with 22q11.2 deletions.  Cerebral Cortex  Get PDF
  
• Bish, J.P., Pendyal, A., Ding, L., Ferrante, H., Nguyen, V., McDonald-McGinn, D.M., Zackai, E.H., & Simon, T.J. (2006) Specific cerebellar reductions in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Neuroscience Letters. 399, 245-248.  Get PDF
  
• Simon TJ, Bish JP, Bearden CE, Ding L, Ferrante S, Nguyen V, Gee JC, McDonald-McGinn DM, Zackai EH, Emanuel BS. (2005) A multilevel analysis of cognitive dysfunction and psychopathology associated with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in children. Dev Psychopathol. 2005 Summer;17(3):753-84.  Get PDF
  
• Simon, T.J., Ding, L., Bish. J.P., McDonald-McGinn. D., Zackai, E.H., & Gee, J. (2005) Volumetric, connective and morphologic changes in the brains of children with chromosome 22q1 1.2 deletion syndrome: An, integrative study. NeuroImage 25: 1 69-1 80.  Get PDF
  
• Simon, T.J., Bearden, C.E., McDonald-McGinn, D., & Zackai, E. (2005) Visuospatial and numerical cognitive deficits in children with Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Cortex  Get PDF
  
• Bearden, CE., Jawad, A.F., Lynch, D.R., Monterosso, J.R., Sokol, S., McDonald-McGinn, D., Saitta, S., Harris, S., Moss, E.M., Wang, PP., Zackai, E., Emanuel, B.S., & Simon, T.J. (2005) Effects of COMT genotype on behavioral symptomatology in the 22q1 1 .2 deletion syndrome. Child Neuropsychology, 11, 109-117. Get PDF
  
• Bish, J.P., Ferrante, S., McDonald-McGinn, D., Zackai, E.H., & Simon, T.J. (2005) Maladaptive conflict monitoring as evidence for executive dysfunction in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Developmental Science  Get PDF
  
• Bearden, C.E., Jawad, A.F., Lynch, D.R., Sokol, S., Kanes, S.J., McDonald-McGinn, D., Saitta, S., Harris, S., Moss, E.M., Wang, P.P., Zackai, E., Emanuel, B.S., & Simon, T.J. (2004) Effects of function COMT polymorphism on prefrontal cognitive function in the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161,1700-1702.  Get PDF
  
• Bish, J.P., Nguyen, V., Ding, L., Ferrante, S., & Simon, T.J. (2004) Thalamic reductions in children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. NeuroReport, 15, 1413-1415. Get PDF
  
• Simon, T.J., Bearden, C.E., Moss, E.M., McGinn, D.M., Zackai, E, & Wang, P.P. (2002) Cognitive development in VCFS. Progress in Pediatric Cardiology, 15,109-117. Get PDF
  
• Bearden, C.E., Wang, P.P., & Simon, T.J. (2002) Williams Syndrome cognitive profile also characterizes Velocardiofacial/DiGeorge Syndrome. American Journal of Medical Genetics (Neuropsychiatric G enetics), 114, 689-692. Get PDF
  
• Sathian, K., Simon, T.J., Peterson, S., Patel, G., Hoffman, J.M., & Grafton, S.T. (1999) Neural evidence linking object enumeration and visual attention. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 11, 36-51. Get PDF
  
• Simon, T.J., & Vaishnavi, S. (1996) Subitizing and counting depend on different attentional mechanisms. Evidence from visual enumeration in afterimages. Perception & Psychophysics, 58, 915-926.
  
• Simon, T.J. (1997) Reconceptualizing the origins of number knowledge: A "non-numerical" account. Cognitive Development, 12, 349-372.  Get PDF

Brain Development and Learning Difficulties in Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion (VCFS/DiGeorge) Syndrome

We are carrying out a study on the problems that some children have with thinking, reasoning and learning about space, time and number information and similar kinds of thinking. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health, which is the main organization that gives money for research in the USA. Dr. Tony Simon would like to invite your 7 to 14 year old child with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (VCFS/DiGeorge) to be part of the study. Many children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome score lower on tests of math and similar thinking abilities compared to how they score on tests of verbal abilities. We are studying the brain and how it produces this profile of thinking. Once we know more we hope to find ways to reduce the learning problems that some children have by developing a range of therapeutic interventions.

Children who take part in the study will play a few computer games, do paper and pencil tests, and have pictures taken of their brain using an MRI machine. MRI scans do not involve any radiation. All of the activities are safe, fun and painless. All testing is for research purposes only, is at no cost to families, and includes a generous thank-you gift for your child. If needed, we have some funds to help you with travel and lodging for your trip to Sacramento. All personal and medical information is kept private and safe. If you and your child would like to take part we will answer all of your questions and give you more information over the phone first. The actual study involves 2 sessions of about 4-5 hours each, including breaks for lunch/snacks.

If you would like to find out more about taking part in the study and helping us learn about mind and brain development in children like your own, please click here.

Stress- and Anxiety-Related Hormone Regulation and Implications for Behavior in Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion (VCFS/DiGeorge) Syndrome

Drs. Elliott Beaton and Tony Simon at the M.I.N.D. Institute at University of California, Davis are carrying out an important study on the problems that some children have dealing with stress resulting from illness, trouble with schoolwork, and difficulties with peers and family.  The findings from this study will help us better understand why some children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome develop serious psychiatric problems later in life and why some do not.

Stress and anxiety have real effects on health and well-being. Children with genetic disorders such as chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) are vulnerable to psychiatric illness in adolescence and young adulthood. However, very little is known about how stress affects the likelihood of such negative outcomes. From an early age, children with the deletion often have extensive medical concerns and, as he or she gets older and enters the school system, his or her emotional, cognitive, and social challenges can become more apparent in the context of increasing social and academic expectations further adding to feelings of stress and anxiety.

There are two parts to the study and you and your child can take part in one or both parts.  One part will happen at the MIND Institute if your child is participating in one of the other ongoing studies at CABIL.  Children will be asked to spit some saliva into a test tube both before and after their practice MRI session.  You and your child will then be asked to do paper and pencil tests about how they have been feeling, thinking, and acting over the last couple of weeks. The child’s guardian(s) will also asked to answer questions about how the child has been thinking feeling and acting and also about how they are feeling themselves. The second part of the study is done by you in your home.  We will ask you to have your child spit saliva into special plastic collection tubes five times on two weekdays and one weekend day. We can measure stress hormones and immune function from the saliva samples. All testing is for research purposes only and is at no cost to families. We will send you a saliva sample collection kit and detailed instructions. Also, you and your child will then be asked to do paper and pencil tests about how they have been feeling, thinking, and acting. The child’s guardian(s) will also asked to answer questions about how the child has been thinking feeling and acting and also about how they are feeling themselves. It’s easy and painless and we will provide a prepaid mailer to send the samples back to the M.I.N.D. Institute.

All personal and medical information is kept private and safe. If you and your child would like to take part we will answer all of your questions and give you more information over the phone first.

If you would like to find out more about taking part in the study and helping us learn about mind and brain development in children like your own, please click here.

Brain Development and Learning Difficulties in children and adults with fragile X (FMR1) gene mutations

In conjunction with our many collaborators and other components in the UC Davis NeuroTherapeutics Research Institute we are carrying out a study examining how the entire range of mutations in the fragile X (FMR1) gene produces changes in brain and cognition that make a wide range of thinking and learning difficult. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health, which is the main organization that gives money for research in the USA. Dr. Tony Simon would like to invite your 8 to 12 year old child any degree of fragile X gene mutation (permutation, mosaicism, full mutation) to be part of the study. We also invite adults from 20 – 40 years to participate. Other family members may be eligible for other studies in the NTRI project (see here) or being carried out in conjunction with Dr. Hagerman and others UC Davis (click here for more information). The immediate goal of this project is to be able to explain how mind and brain changes caused by changes in the gene can create a range of cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Then we plan to develop a range of neurotherapeutic interventions to prevent or reduce those difficulties.

Children and adults who take part in the study will play a few computer games, do paper and pencil tests, and have pictures taken of their brain using an MRI machine. MRI scans do not involve any radiation. All of the activities are safe, fun and painless. All testing is for research purposes only, is at no cost to families, and includes a generous thank-you gift for your child. If needed, we have some funds to help you with travel and lodging for your trip to Sacramento. All personal and medical information is kept private and safe. If you and your child would like to take part we will answer all of your questions and give you more information over the phone first. The actual study involves 2 sessions of about 4-5 hours each, including breaks for lunch/snacks.

If you would like to find out more about taking part in the study and helping us learn about mind and brain development in children like your own, please click here.

Brain Development and Learning Difficulties in Klinefelter or XXX Syndrome

We are carrying out a study on the problems that some children have with thinking, reasoning and learning about space, time and number information and similar kinds of thinking. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health, which is the main organization that gives money for research in the USA. Dr. Tony Simon would like to invite your 7 to 14 year old son with Klinefelter or daughter with XXX syndrome (VCFS/DiGeorge) to be part of the study. Many children with these syndrome score lower on tests of verbal abilities compared to how they score on tests of math and similar thinking abilities. We are studying the brain and how it produces this profile of thinking. Once we know more we hope to find ways to reduce the learning problems that some children have by developing a range of therapeutic interventions.

Children who take part in the study will play a few computer games, do paper and pencil tests, and have pictures taken of their brain using an MRI machine. MRI scans do not involve any radiation. All of the activities are safe, fun and painless. All testing is for research purposes only, is at no cost to families, and includes a generous thank-you gift for your child. If needed, we have some funds to help you with travel and lodging for your trip to Sacramento. All personal and medical information is kept private and safe. If you and your child would like to take part we will answer all of your questions and give you more information over the phone first. The actual study involves 2 sessions of about 4-5 hours each, including breaks for lunch/snacks.

If you would like to find out more about taking part in the study and helping us learn about mind and brain development in children like your own, please click here.

Most of our studies involve two visits of about 4-5 hours each. It is a fun and interesting experience and many parents have reported how much their children enjoyed their visit. You will get to see images of your child's brain and your child will receive fun gift cards to stores such as Toys R Us or Best Buy.

During one visit, your child will play several computer games wrapped up in a spaceship travel or some other fun theme. The games are designed to assess certain cognitive abilities, focusing on how your child pays attention, processes spatial relations between objects and can create and use numerical representations. Currently there are three simple types of games your child will play.

In one game, a cartoon character resembling a cute little alien in a spaceship appears on either the bottom or the top half of the computer screen.  The alien will have an arrow on his space ship and your child just has to identify which way the alien is pointing.  Sometimes the alien will show up alone and sometimes with other aliens, whose spaceships provide helpful or distracting information. Children also see different "cues" before each appearance of the characters. These are little stars that appear for a short time and either help by drawing attention to where the spaceship will appear, or that can distract attention away, making the task harder. Your child has to deal with the cues and focus on the central alien (marked here by a dotted box) in his spaceship to identify its direction. This game tests the functioning of different attention networks in the brain and relates to issues of spatial orienting, readiness for cognitive processing and inhibition of distracting information.

In another game, two bars of different heights will appear on the screen and your child simply has to identify which bar is bigger by pressing one of two buttons on the corresponding side of the bigger bar.  In other parts of the experiment, two numbers may appear on the screen and your child's task is to choose which of the two numbers is larger. This game tests systems in the brain that involve the decoding of symbols into the quantities they represent, and the ability to judge the relationship between one quantity and another.

Another game involves using the visual attention and mental planning systems to carry out a counting task.  Here your child actually touches a series of dots (multiple yellow "suns" in a blue sky) that appear together on a computer screen.  Your child chooses the order (or "search plan") in which to touch each dot until he or she thinks they have all been touched. Then the task is to press on a picture of a "space dog" to tell it that all dots have been touched and counted.  Finally, a series of numbers will appear and your child just has to identify how many dots he or she thinks were counted.  Most kids really like getting to touch the computer screen in this specially designed task, and they like the little dog icon, which is their "co-pilot" that they can name if they wish. This games tests the application of different parts of the brain that control what is known as the "spatial attention system" and is important for numerical processing. It also tests the planning or "executive" system that manages the search plan with the goal of touching all of the objects in an efficient order and not missing or revisiting any of them. Another version of this game involves counting small green dots on a red background (or tiny aliens seen on a red planet from very far away) and “telling the spaceship captain how many there are” by speaking into a microphone, which is used to control a timer measuring how long each counting effort takes.

After a break, we will travel a short distance to the U.C. Davis Imaging Research Center where your child will be able to experience the "look and feel" of an MRI scanner and to get comfortable with the process. Here, we have a fully equipped simulator that creates the entire experience of our research scans in the MRI scanner. In the simulator, your child practices the version of the experiment video game that we use to actually measure brain function. He or she will also watch part of a movie of their choice while we simulate the structural brain imaging scans. The movie is a great way to help your child lay really still and to distract him or her from the sounds of the scanner. We have an extensive DVD library of movies but your child is encouraged to bring his or her own favorite movie to watch as an "in-flight movie" during the scan if desired.  The simulator is used to get the child acclimated to what a real scan will be like.  During the simulated scan, the sounds of a real scan are played and the movement of your child's is monitored to help him or her learn how still to lie during the real scan.  If there is too much movement, the movie is frozen for a few seconds to indicate that the actual MRI pictures would be "fuzzy" with that amount of motion. The simulated scan is usually fairly short in duration. However, if necessary, your child can stay in for longer to "practice" the scan until he or she is completely comfortable with it and ready to try the real thing. Typically we include a lunch/snack break during the visit.

A child watching a movie in our practice scanner

During the real MRI your child will play the same computer game as they did in the simulated scanner and will get to watch more of the movie. This is achieved with a special visual display system not found in the typical hospital scanner.  Most children quite enjoy the adventures of the MRI scan and are distracted by watching their movie.  There is no radiation in the MRI scan and the procedure is very safe so long as no metal objects are brought into the scanner room. This is because MRI uses an extremely strong magnetic field, which is NEVER turned off, and so we must screen carefully for metal before carrying out the scan. Unfortunately, metal dental braces disturb the pictures and we cannot scan children when they have braces. You and your child will get to look at the brain images from the scan that very day, and it may be possible to have an image emailed home to you. The study is set up to be fun and engaging, and children typically really enjoy participating. They especially like getting their certificate and gift card at the end of the testing! 

For the other visit your child will undergo a neuropsychological evaluation. Your child will spend 4-5 hours, including breaks, with one of the M.I.N.D. Institute psychologists who are very experienced with testing a wide range of children. The evaluation consists of pencil and paper activities that involve puzzles, memory tests and the like.  It is similar to school psychology tests and the process is fun and interactive for the child.  The neuropsychological testing provides a broad assessment of intellectual and academic abilities using standardized measures that can measure your child's progress against that of the general population of children. In this way, these tests complement the highly specific, experimental and non-standardized experiments (i.e. the computer games) in the lab portion of the study.  Some time after the neuropsychological testing is complete you will receive a letter explaining the results and characterizing your child's performance. You may find this useful for your own curiosity or you may choose to share this information with your child's school.

An important new addition to our program now that we are at the M.I.N.D. Institute is the opportunity for your child to have a clinical evaluation completed by a specially trained pediatrician. The length of the evaluation, written report (if any), and degree of follow-up will depend on your medical insurance, but we should be able to provide at least a basic consultation for every child. The option to enroll in medication trials with follow-up testing is also likely to be available.

March 2009
CABIL/Elwyn Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Family Meeting
Click here for meeting agenda, presentations, and videos. 

April 2008
Family Meeting
Click here for meeting agenda and presentations, and videos. 

March 2007
Elwyn/M.I.N.D. Institute Behavior and Learning Conference
Click here for conference agenda and presentations 

November 2005

Presentations
Tony J. Simon, Ph.D. - Introduction, Brain and Cognition
Nicole Tartaglia M.D. - Medical & Behavioral Issues
Cheryl Dultz, M.A. - Educational Issues

Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion/VCFS Resources

Links to Foundations/Clinics

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: 22q and You Center
Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (VCFS) Educational Foundation
Chromosome 22 Central
Chromosome 22 Central (22q11 Deletion Page)
International 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Foundation
Review of Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion syndrome
Elwyn’s school consultation service assisting children with genetic disorders
Toronto Hospital for Sick Kids 22q Deletion Syndrome Clinic

Video Resources for Families and Practitioners

The first year and half of life with a child with 22q11.2DS - Clark Family Interview
The first 16 years with a child with 22q11.2DS - Heran Family Interview 

Online Discussion Groups for Parents or Affected Individuals

22q11andyou
22q11mind >
VCFS Family Support
C22C (Chromosome 22 Central)

National Institutes of Health Information

Genetics Home Reference page
NIDCD page >
Genome Institute page
Clinical Trials Site (Search for 22q11.2 or VCFS)

Fragile X Resources

Links to Foundations/Clinics

The National Fragile X Foundation
FRAXA
UC Davis Neurotherapeutics Research Institute 

Presentations given by CABIL Team

Dr. Simon's talk at NFXF, 2008 PDF

Turner, Williams Syndrome Resources

Turner Syndrome Society
The National Fragile X Foundation
The Williams Syndrome Comprehensive Website
The Williams Syndrome Association

Congenital Heart Disease

The Congenital Heart Information Network