October 2, 2006

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute will host David L. Pauls, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental genetics in the Center for Human Genetic Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, on Wednesday, October 11, at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, 2825 50th St., Sacramento.

During a 4 p.m. technical presentation, Pauls will report findings from the largest genetic linkage study of Tourette syndrome to date. At a 6 p.m. community-interest lecture, he will examine evidence for a relationship between Tourette syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder. Both presentations are free and open to the public; no reservations are needed.

Pauls' research has made significant contributions to the understanding of genetic and environmental factors important to the expression of a number of childhood neurological disorders, including Tourette syndrome. He is also actively investigating the genetics of autism, Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He is principal investigator of a genetic linkage study for the Tourette Syndrome Association International Foundation Consortium on Genetics, a member of scientific advisory boards for the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation and the Trichotillomania Learning Center, and a board member of the Asperger's Association of New England. Pauls is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University in Fresno, Calif., and received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in genetics and cell biology.

Pauls is the first of nine distinguished lecturers in the M.I.N.D. Institute's 2006-07 series. Upcoming speakers are Arthur L. Beaudet, Baylor College of Medicine (Nov. 8); Stephen J. Suomi, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Dec. 13); Lawrence Scahill, Yale University (Jan. 10); Temple Grandin, Colorado State University (Feb. 14); Joseph Piven, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Mar. 14); Susan Bookheimer, University of California, Los Angeles (Apr. 11); Leonard Abbeduto, University of Wisconsin (May 9, visit co-sponsored by the UC Davis School of Education); and Tony Charman, University College London (June 13).

For more information about this and future lectures, visit the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Web site at http://www.mindinstitute.org or call (916) 703-0280. Additional information about Tourette syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder can be found on National Institutes of Health Web sites: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tourette/tourette.htm and http://www.nimh.nih.gov/HealthInformation/ocdmenu.cfm.

The UC Davis M.I.N.D. (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute is a unique collaborative center for research into the causes and treatments of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, fragile X syndrome and learning disabilities.