Celebrating the Patrick Wild Centre this #WorldAutismDay

This World Autism Day we are celebrating the work carried out by our colleagues at the Patrick Wild Centre.

Established in 2010, the centre is part of a hub of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative research centres that put patients and families at the heart of scientific endeavour.

The centre promotes collaborations between experts in neuroscience, psychiatry, molecular medicine, and psychology. The goal is to achieve a better understanding of autism, Fragile X Syndrome, and intellectual disabilities, from the neural level to cognitive abilities and lived experiences.

By bringing new therapies to clinical trial, and by highlighting the unique skills and needs of people with autism, Fragile X Syndrome, and intellectual disabilities, the centre are be able to provide better support for patients, their families, their clinical practitioners and their educators.

Fundamental Research

The fundamental research branch of the Patrick Wild Centre does purely biological research. It focuses on the basic and fundamental functioning of the brain of people with autism, fragile X syndrome, and intellectual disabilities, from molecules, to cells, to circuits and networks of neurons, all the way to behaviours linked to these neural circuits.

These research projects use cellular and animal models to better understand how brains are built, and how cells in the brain communicate with each other to create a behaviour. Our fundamental research is done in partnership with the Simons Foundation.

Clinical Research

The clinical branch of the Patrick Wild Centre completes the work of the fundamental branch, and focuses on the behavioural and clinical profiles of people with autism, fragile X syndrome, and intellectual disabilities.

Clinical research includes projects on their lived experiences, their behaviour and cognition (mental skills), their neurological profiles (the way their brain is shaped and is activated when dealing with information), as well as clinical trials and interventions. 

Open studies

The Patrick Wild Centre are very grateful to those people who take part in their research studies; without them clinical research would be impossible.  If you are interested in any of open studies, you can find more information on the centre’s website.

View ongoing studies on the Patrick Wild Centre website

Recruiting studies (link)