Autism BrainNet facilitates research on donated postmortem brain tissue to better understand the biological causes of autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions. Hear more about our mission and how the gift of brain donation helps advance research.

A postmortem brain study uncovered autism-related changes in gene expression in specific neurons of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) — an area of the temporal cortex implicated in autism, language processing, and social perception.

Read our conversation 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.