Kathleen Gunthert
American University, DC·Neuroscience
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common developmental condition. It affects social communication and also involves repetitive, inflexible behaviors.
- Fields
Neuroscience
Psychology
Medicine & Clinical Research
- Topics
autism spectrum disorder
cerebellum
cerebellar lobule VII
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Dec 2026
What they work on
- Test whether excitatory or inhibitory non-invasive neuromodulation of right cerebellar lobule VII (RVII) selectively changes social learning, comparing it with sham stimulation in neurotypical adults and adults with autism.
- Test whether neuromodulation of the posterior cerebellar vermis, a midline cerebellar strip, alters cognitive flexibility, the ability to switch strategies, in adults with and without autism.
- Use functional brain imaging during and after cerebellar stimulation to measure how targeting RVII versus the posterior vermis changes social and attention-related brain networks.
More about the research
Few treatments target its biology, partly because the brain basis of autism is still unclear. One brain region keeps coming up in autism research: the cerebellum, a structure at the back of the brain that is wired to areas handling movement, thinking and emotion. How the cerebellum contributes to autism symptoms remains unknown.
Why it matters
There are few biologically targeted treatments for autism. This work could show whether non-invasive stimulation of the cerebellum is a workable therapy for adults with ASD. It could also identify which part of the cerebellum to target for social difficulties and which for inflexible behaviors. That information would guide future clinical trials of cerebellar neuromodulation.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Johanna Jarcho
Temple University, PA·Psychology
Compare brain responses to social reward (being liked by peers) and non-social reward (winning money) in autistic and neurotypical adolescents aged 10–15, using a purpose-built fMRI feedback task.
Rebecca Schwarzlose
Washington University in St Louis, MO·Neuroscience·Early-career
Test whether neural suppression, the reduced brain response to expected sensations, is weaker in children with sensory over-responsivity, using existing brain imaging data.
Mesut Sahin
New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ·Biomedical Engineering
Develop focused ultrasound protocols that directly stimulate the deep cerebellar nuclei, the cerebellum's output centers, without surgery, and identify settings that selectively activate specific neuron types.
The school
American University: 2 labs on PI Pages, $78M a year on research, 84 research doctorates a year.
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