High-throughput functional analysis of autism genes in zebrafish identifies convergence in dopaminergic and neuroimmune pathways

Advancing from gene discovery in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to the identification of biologically relevant mechanisms remains a central challenge. Here, we perform parallel in vivo functional analysis of 10 ASD genes at the behavioral, structural, and circuit levels in zebrafish mutants, revealing both unique and overlapping effects of gene loss of function. Whole-brain mapping identifies the forebrain and cerebellum as the most significant contributors to brain size differences, while regions involved in sensory-motor control, particularly dopaminergic regions, are associated with altered baseline brain activity. Finally, we show a global increase in microglia resulting from ASD gene loss of function in select mutants, implicating neuroimmune dysfunction as a key pathway relevant to ASD biology

Wearable Device for Health Care Applications

Emotion recognition through physiological recording is an emerging field of research with many promising results. This work is involved in the construction of a device used to identify basic human emotions indexed by Electro Dermal Activity (EDA) in real time, using a non-invasive sensor attached to a wrist band. We refer to the system as "E Lock-Holmes". The device measures changes in Skin Conductance Level (SCL) caused due to stimulating signals from brain which results from sympathetic neural activity using Ag/AgCl electrodes placed on the ventral side of the distal forearm to evaluate the emotions of the user outside the constrained laboratory environment without interrupting the normal daily routine. The device consists of an embedded system for EDA signal acquisition and a wireless communication module to send processed EDA signals to a remote system. A vibrator attached to the device is used to provide user feedback