New MIT center will focus on better diagnosis, treatment of autism

By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff

A new center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will focus on unraveling the neuroscience that underlies social behaviors, helping push forward research and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

The new Simons Center for the Social Brain is funded by a $26.5 million gift from the Simons Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports science and mathematics research and has already provided $15 million to the university to support autism research.

Autism spectrum disorders encompass a range of disorders that vary in their severity and affect an estimated one in 110 children in the U.S., afflicting them with communication problems, repetitive behaviors, and impaired social abilities. The new center will drive research into the basis in the brain of social behaviors and fuel the search for ways to better diagnose and treat autism.

“MIT has all the ingredients necessary for making spectacular progress in understanding and treating autism: top-notch basic science, intensely creative technology and longstanding collaborations with Boston-area hospitals and clinics,” Mriganka Sur, a neuroscience professor who will lead the new center, said in a statement.

MIT research into autism has spanned a wide spectrum, including developing new drugs , one of which is being tested in a rare disease called Fragile X that has similar symptoms and identifying genes that may contribute to the disease.

The new center will focus on four main areas. One program will identify the genes involved in the disorder, while another will develop models that can help scientists understand the biology and mechanisms that underlie the complicated set of symptoms. Other researchers will try to unravel the connection between behaviors and the brain, and the final program will focus on the translation of research findings into tools, therapies, and technologies that could help patients.