Computer modeling of the brain offers the hope of predicting how the brain responds to varying conditions, but these models have been rather primitive until recently. The Sejnowski team at the Salk Institute, who specialize in computational models of neural networks, will take the results of previous FRAXA-funded projects and incorporate them into their advanced computer models of brain function.
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Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Fragile X Mutant Drosophila
With an $80,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation over 2 years, Dr. Ravi Allada and his team studied at Northwestern University sleep behaviors in Fragile X fruit flies. These fruit flies are useful for several important reasons; not only do they have a good cognitive phenotype, they also have a clear disturbance of circadian rhythms. This is an important model for human hyperactivity and sleep disorders, and this group studied the underlying mechanisms in an effort to find treatments for the human conditions.
Read moreMelatonin Clinical Trial in Fragile X
With a $60,000 grant from FRAXA Research Foundation from 1998-1999, Dr. Randi Hagerman and her team at the University of California studied the effects of different compounds on individuals with Fragile X syndrome, focusing specifically on melatonin. Results published.
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