The Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI) is pleased to announce that it intends to fund four grants in response to the Analysis of postmortem brain tissue from the Autism BrainNet collection request for applications (RFA). Investigators awarded through this RFA will use human postmortem brain tissue donated to Autism BrainNet to conduct studies that will advance the understanding of the biological mechanisms of autism.

A postmortem brain study finds that gene expression changes in autism are unexpectedly widespread throughout the cortex, extending beyond higher-order association areas to include primary sensory areas, especially the primary visual cortex.

We recently spoke with Annie Scheumbauer, mother of donor Bridget M. McCallister. Annie recounts Bridget’s life, her passions and challenges, and what led her family to make the decision to support autism research through the gift of brain donation.