Aneta Krakowski

Research Synopsis: 

My research program is focused on single gene disorders associated with autism and ADHD, such as neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1). It is valuable to study rare disorders associated with ASD and ADHD as the genetic heterogeneity of these conditions hampers the elucidation of the pathway from genetics to neurobiology to behavioural phenotype. The study of children with one specific genetic etiology of ASD and ADHD, such as NF1, increases biological homogeneity of biomarker signals associated with these conditions.

My current work focuses on two main funded projects. The first is The Impact of Behaviour and Cognition in Children with NF1, which characterizes the cognitive, academic and psychiatric profile of school aged children with NF1 through a neurodevelopmental/ neuropsychiatric assessment. The second project is Neurobiological Underpinnings of Autism Symptoms in NF1, which examines biomarkers (brain imaging and eye tracking measures) of autism symptoms in children with NF1.

Another focus of my research is the phenotypic overlap between ASD and ADHD, and the possibility of a shared pathophysiology.