I am Principal Investigator (PI) of the Neurodevelopmental Disorders research line at IIT and direct the Laboratory for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (LAND). The primary focus of IIT LAND is to better understand what drives heterogeneity in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Diagnostic labels for neurodevelopmental conditions like autism try to explain what is common between individuals at the level of observable behavior. While this level of explanation tries to maximize consensus amongst clinicians about what can be observed in behavior, it also potentially masks important differences between individuals possessing the same label. These differences between individuals can also be expressed at every level one looks at – from the genome, through neural systems, the phenotype, and all the way up to response to treatment and later life outcome. It may be that these multi-level differences between individuals are most important features for understanding causes and mechanisms driving the emergence of such conditions. These differences may also be important clues that help us develop interventions and clinical practice that better maximizes the outcomes and potential of such individuals. The lab’s goal is better to understand what drives multi-level heterogeneity within and between individuals affected by neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and to use that more precise understanding to better impact the lives of patients and their families.
ERC Starting Grant (AUTISMS): Decomposing Heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Trakoshis, S., Martinez-Canada, P., Rocchi, F., Canella, C., You, W., Chakrabarti, B., Ruigrok, A. N. V., Bullmore, E. T., Suckling, J., Markicevic, M., Zerbi, V., MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen, S., Gozzi, A., Lai, M. C., Panzeri, S., & Lombardo, M. V. (2020). Intrinsic excitation-inhibition imbalance affects medial prefrontal cortex differently in autistic men versus women. eLife, 9, e55684.
Lombardo, M. V., Eyler, L., Moore, A., Datko, M., Carter Barnes, C., Cha, D., Courchesne, E., & Pierce, K. (2019). Default mode-visual network hypoconnectivity in an autism subtype with pronounced social visual engagement difficulties. eLife, 8, e47427.
Lombardo, M. V., Pramparo, T., Gazestani, V., Warrier, V, Bethlehem, R. A. I., Carter Barnes, C., Lopez, L., Lewis, N. E., Eyler, L., Pierce, K., & Courchesne, E. (2018). Large-scale associations between the leukocyte transcriptome and BOLD responses to speech differ in autism early language outcome subtypes. Nature Neuroscience, 21, 1680-1688.
Lombardo, M. V., Pierce, K., Eyler, L., Carter Barnes, C., Ahrens-Barbeau, C., Solso, S., Campbell, K., & Courchesne, E. (2015). Different functional neural substrates for good and poor language outcome in autism. Neuron, 86, 567-577.
Lombardo, M. V., Lai, M. C., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2019). Big data approaches to decomposing heterogeneity across the autism spectrum. Molecular Psychiatry, 24, 1435-1450.
Lombardo, M. V., Moon, H. M., Su J., Palmer, T. D., Courchesne, E., & Pramparo, T. (2018). Maternal immune activation dysregulation of the fetal brain transcriptome and relevance to the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder. Molecular Psychiatry, 23, 1001-1013.
Lombardo, M. V., Auyeung, B., Pramparo, T., Quartier, A., Courraud, J., Holt, R. J., Waldman, J., Ruigrok, A. N. V., Mooney, N., Bethlehem, R. A. I., Lai, M. C., Kundu, P., Bullmore, E. T., Mandel, J. L., Piton, A., & Baron-Cohen, S. (in press). Sex-specific impact of prenatal androgens on intrinsic functional connectivity between social brain default mode subsystems. Molecular Psychiatry. doi:10.1038/s41380-018-0198-y.
Baron-Cohen, S., Auyeung, B., Nørgaard-Pedersen, B., Hougaard, D. M., Abdallah, M. W., Melgaard, L., Cohen, A. S., Chakrabarti, B., Ruta, L., & Lombardo, M. V. (2015). Elevated fetal steroidogenic activity in autism. Molecular Psychiatry, 20, 369-376.
Lombardo, M. V., Lai, M. C., Auyeung, B., Holt, R. J., Allison, C., Smith, P., Chakrabarti, B., Ruigrok, A. N. V., Suckling, J., Bullmore, E. T., MRC AIMS Consortium, Ecker, C., Craig M. C., Murphy, D. G. M., Happe, F., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2016). Unsupervised data-driven stratification of mentalizing heterogeneity in autism. Scientific Reports, 6, 35333.
Lai, M. C., Lombardo, M. V., Baron-Cohen, S. (2014). Autism. Lancet, 383, 896-910.
Lombardo, M. V., Chakrabarti, B., Bullmore, E. T., Sadek, S. A., Pasco, G., Wheelwright, S. J., Suckling, J., MRC AIMS Consortium, & Baron-Cohen, S. (2010). Atypical neural self-representation in autism. Brain, 133, 611-624.
Courchesne, E., Pramparo, T., Gazestani, V., Lombardo, M. V., Pierce, K., & Lewis. N. E. (2019). The ASD living biology: From cell proliferation to clinical phenotype. Molecular Psychiatry, 24, 88-107.
Lai, M. C., Lombardo, M. V., Auyeung, B., Chakrabarti, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2015). Sex/gender differences and autism: Setting the scene for future research. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 54, 11-24.
Lai, M. C., Lombardo, M. V., Chakrabarti, B., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2013). Subgrouping the autism spectrum: Reflections on DSM-5. PLoS Biology, 11(4), e1001544.
Lombardo, M. V., Ashwin, E., Auyeung, B., Chakrabarti, B., Taylor, K., Hackett, G., Bullmore, E. T., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2012). Fetal testosterone influences sexually dimorphic gray matter in the human brain. Journal of Neuroscience, 32, 674-680.
Lombardo, M. V., Ashwin, E., Auyeung, B., Chakrabarti, B., Lai, M. C., Taylor, K., Hackett, G., Bullmore, E. T., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2012). Fetal programming effects of testosterone on the reward system and behavioral approach tendencies in humans. Biological Psychiatry, 72, 839-847.
Lombardo, M. V., Courchesne, E., Lewis, N. E., & Pramparo, T (2017). Hierarchical cortical transcriptome disorganization in autism. Molecular Autism, 8, 29.
Auyeung, B., Lombardo, M. V., Heinrichs, M., Chakrabarti, B., Sule, A., Rayment, D., Deakin, J., Dickens, L., Bethlehem R., Mooney, N., Sipple, J., Thiemann, P., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2015). Oxytocin increases eye contact during a real-time, naturalistic social interaction in males with and without autism. Translational Psychiatry, 5, e507.
Lai, M. C.*, Lombardo, M. V.*, Suckling, J., Ruigrok, A. N. V., Chakrabarti, B., Ecker, C., Deoni, S. C., Craig, M. C., Murphy, D. G. M., Bullmore, E. T., MRC AIMS Consortium, & Baron-Cohen, S. (2013). Biological sex affects the neurobiology of autism. Brain, 136, 2799-2815. * = Joint first authorship for equal contributions.
Bethlehem, R, A. I*, Lombardo, M. V.*, Lai, M. C., Auyeung, B., Crockford, S. K., Deakin, J., Soubramanian, S., Sule, A., Kundu, P., Voon, V., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2017). Intranasal oxytocin enhances intrinsic corticostriatal functional connectivity in women. Translational Psychiatry, 7, e1099. * = Joint first authorship for equal contributions.
L’Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) è una fondazione di diritto privato - cfr. determinazione Corte dei Conti 23/2015 “IIT è una fondazione da inquadrare fra gli organismi di diritto pubblico con la scelta di un modello di organizzazione di diritto privato per rispondere all’esigenza di assicurare procedure più snelle nella selezione non solo nell’ambito nazionale dei collaboratori, scienziati e ricercatori ”.
IIT è sotto la vigilanza del Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca e del Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze ed è stato istituito con la Legge 326/2003. La Fondazione ha l'obiettivo di promuovere l'eccellenza nella ricerca di base e in quella applicata e di favorire lo sviluppo del sistema economico nazionale. La costruzione dei laboratori iniziata nel 2006 si è conclusa nel 2009.
Lo staff complessivo di IIT conta circa 1440 persone. L’area scientifica è rappresentata da circa l’85% del personale. Il 45% dei ricercatori proviene dall’estero: di questi, il 29% è costituito da stranieri provenienti da oltre 50 Paesi e il 16% da italiani rientrati. Oggi il personale scientifico è composto da circa 60 principal investigators, circa 110 ricercatori e tecnologi di staff, circa 350 post doc, circa 500 studenti di dottorato e borsisti, circa 130 tecnici. Oltre 330 posti su 1400 creati su fondi esterni. Età media 34 anni. 41% donne / 59 % uomini.
Nel 2015 IIT ha ricevuto finanziamenti pubblici per circa 96 milioni di euro (80% del budget), conseguendo fondi esterni per 22 milioni di euro (20% budget) provenienti da 18 progetti europei, 17 finanziamenti da istituzioni nazionali e internazionali, circa 60 progetti industriali
La produzione di IIT ad oggi vanta circa 6990 pubblicazioni, oltre 130 finanziamenti Europei e 11 ERC, più di 350 domande di brevetto attive, oltre 12 start up costituite e altrettante in fase di lancio. Dal 2009 l’attività scientifica è stata ulteriormente rafforzata con la creazione di dieci centri di ricerca nel territorio nazionale (a Torino, Milano, Trento, Parma, Roma, Pisa, Napoli, Lecce, Ferrara) e internazionale (MIT ed Harvard negli USA) che, unitamente al Laboratorio Centrale di Genova, sviluppano i programmi di ricerca del piano scientifico 2015-2017.
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) is a public research institute that adopts the organizational model of a private law foundation. IIT is overseen by Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca and Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze (the Italian Ministries of Education, Economy and Finance). The Institute was set up according to Italian law 326/2003 with the objective of promoting excellence in basic and applied research andfostering Italy’s economic development. Construction of the Laboratories started in 2006 and finished in 2009.
IIT has an overall staff of about 1,440 people. The scientific staff covers about 85% of the total. Out of 45% of researchers coming from abroad 29% are foreigners coming from more than 50 countries and 16% are returned Italians. The scientific staff currently consists of approximately 60 Principal Investigators, 110 researchers and technologists, 350 post-docs and 500 PhD students and grant holders and 130 technicians. External funding has allowed the creation of more than 330 positions . The average age is 34 and the gender balance proportion is 41% female against 59% male.
In 2015 IIT received 96 million euros in public funding (accounting for 80% of its budget) and obtained 22 million euros in external funding (accounting for 20% of its budget). External funding comes from 18 European Projects, other 17 national and international competitive projects and approximately 60 industrial projects.
So far IIT accounts for: about 6990 publications, more than 130 European grants and 11 ERC grants, more than 350 patents or patent applications, 12 up start-ups and as many which are about to be launched. The Institute’s scientific activity has been further strengthened since 2009 with the establishment of 11 research nodes throughout Italy (Torino, Milano, Trento, Parma, Roma, Pisa, Napoli, Lecce, Ferrara) and abroad (MIT and Harvard University, USA), which, along with the Genoa-based Central Lab, implement the research programs included in the 2015-2017 Strategic Plan.
