Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are disabilities associated primarily with the functioning of the neurological system and brain. These include autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, intellectual disability among others. Psychiatric disorders are very prevalent in NDDs. Research shows that a significant minority of people with NDDs carry structural changes in their genomes, neurodevelopmental copy number variants (ND-CNV). Neurexin-1 deletions (NRXN1 del) are an ND-CNV associated with autism and a range of psychiatric disorders. They affect the communication between brain cells. NRXN1 del offer an opportunity to study brain and behaviour relationships and may help our understanding of the shared risk of psychiatric disorders in NDDs. This can create better knowledge about the causes of these conditions and inform us how to manage them more broadly. In my study I will determine for the first time the rare of psychiatric disorders in youth with NRXN1 del compared with typically developing youth. I will investigate if psychiatric disorders in NRXN1 del carriers are linked to autism traits or differences in cognition (i.e. how the brain thinks). I will learn new skills in assessment of behaviour and cognition and in data analysis.
