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March 7, 2007

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — The UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute will host Joseph Piven, a physician and professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, on Wednesday, March 14, at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, 2825 50th St., Sacramento.

Piven will speak twice. During a 4 p.m. technical presentation, he will review study findings that identify aspects of the broad autism phenotype — representing the spectrum of types and severity of symptoms — that may prove helpful in clarifying causal factors of autism. At a 6 p.m. community-interest lecture, he will discuss results from neuroimaging studies, including those showing enlarged brain volume in children with autism, which suggest connections between brain development and autism behaviors. Both presentations are free and open to the public; no reservations are needed.

Piven is the director of the UNC Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center, the UNC Post-Doctoral Research Training Program in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and the North Carolina Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment (STAART) Autism Research Center. His research focuses on the pathogenesis of autism and related disorders, such as fragile X syndrome, including studies on the molecular genetics of autism, the neuropsychological basis of autism and the use of MRIs to elucidate early brain development. An internationally recognized leader in autism research, Piven recently completed a Lady Day Visiting Professorship at Hebrew University in Israel. He serves on numerous editorial boards and national committees, including the American Journal of Medical Genetics Editorial Board and the Autism Society of America Scientific Advisory Board. Piven received his medical degree from the University of Maryland and completed his training in child and adolescent psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.

Piven is the sixth of nine distinguished lecturers in the M.I.N.D. Institute's 2006-07 series. Upcoming speakers are Susan Bookheimer, UCLA (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 or call (916) 703-0280. Many previous distinguished lectures are available for viewing on the M.I.N.D. Institute Web site. Visit www.mindinstitute.org, then click on “M.I.N.D. videos.”

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, Tourette syndrome and learning disabilities.