Tamar Green
Stanford University, CA·Neuroscience
Rare genetic disorders often change how the brain develops. They can lead to conditions such as attention problems, learning disabilities and autism.
- Fields
Neuroscience
Genetics
Psychology
- Topics
Noonan syndrome
RASopathy
Ras/MAPK pathway
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2027
What they work on
- Determine whether mutations in three Noonan syndrome genes, RAF1, PTPN11 and SOS1, alter the striatum along a gradient of severity, using MRI measures of volume, cell density and connectivity in children aged 7–16.
- Test whether different PTPN11 disease-causing variants are associated with differences in brain development, including cortical thickness, surface area, white matter and myelin content.
- Test whether whole-brain functional connectivity can predict inhibition, the ability to hold back a response, in children with Noonan syndrome, providing a brain marker for attention abilities.
- Use restriction spectrum imaging (RSI), an MRI method sensitive to tissue makeup, to map how RMK pathway overactivity changes cell density in the striatum.
More about the research
Noonan syndrome affects about 1 in 2,000 people and offers a clear way to study this link. It is caused by single-gene mutations with strong effects. These mutations overactivate the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase (RMK) pathway, a signaling chain that controls cell growth. Studying children with Noonan syndrome can reveal how this pathway shapes the developing human brain.
Why it matters
Children with Noonan syndrome face higher risk of attention problems such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with learning disabilities and autism symptoms. Linking specific Noonan gene mutations to brain changes could help doctors use genetic testing to predict outcomes and guide treatment. A brain-based marker of attention could help identify which children need support. The work also clarifies how the RMK pathway shapes human brain development.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Margaret Reynolds
Washington University in St Louis, MO·Medicine & Clinical Research·Early-career
Measure gains in visual acuity, using Teller acuity testing, in children with autism spectrum disorder after refractive surgery for refractive error that glasses cannot address.
Joseph O'Neill
University of California-Los Angeles, CA·Medicine & Clinical Research
Determine whether trigeminal nerve stimulation, a noninvasive facial nerve stimulation therapy cleared for ADHD, is feasible for children with prenatal alcohol exposure, measuring compliance, side effects and early signs of symptom relief in a pilot phase.
Grace McIlvain
Columbia University, NY·Neuroscience
Establish benchmark structure-function relationships in healthy young adults by relating regional brain stiffness and damping ratio, measured with magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), to performance on cognitive and emotional tasks.
The school
Stanford University: 87 labs on PI Pages, $1.6B a year on research, 739 research doctorates a year.
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