Tune in to learn about research exploring the role enteric neurotransmitters, specifically serotonin and oxytocin, play in enteric nervous system (ENS) development and how, when signaling of either of these neurotransmitters is abnormal, it can result in intestinal inflammation and/or motility dysfunction.

About the speaker:

Kara Gross Margolis, MD is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and a pediatric gastroenterologist with a clinical expertise in brain-gut axis disorders, and particularly autism spectrum disorders (ASD). She has published highly novel observations on the roles that enteric neurotransmitters, specifically serotonin and oxytocin, play in enteric nervous system (ENS) development and how, when signaling of either of these neurotransmitters is abnormal, result in intestinal inflammation and/or motility dysfunction.  She has more recently leveraged her expertise to study disorders of the brain-gut axis from the perspective of the ENS.  Her studies in this area thus far have focused on two disorders that have been classically thought of as central nervous system (CNS)-centric, ASD and developmental antidepressant (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; SSRI) exposure.  Her overall goals are to pursue translational research that interrogates basic mechanisms underlying important clinical conditions, in order to utilize this knowledge to develop novel therapeutic strategies.

REGISTER:  https://www.autism.org/gastrointestinal-autism-research/