David G. Amaral, Ph.D., is a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Davis, and since 1998 has been the research director at the M.I.N.D. Institute, an affiliate of UC Davis, engaged in interdisciplinary research into the causes and treatment of autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Psychiatry refers to the practice of medicine relating to the mind and behaviour, coming from Greek words meaning healer of the mind. It is a subspecialty of medical practice and is practiced in the United States by people holding the M.D. or D.O. degrees. ... The University of California, Davis, commonly known as UC Davis, is a public, coeducational university located in Davis, California, which is about fifteen miles west of Sacramento in Californias Central Valley. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute is a Sacramento, California based research and treatment consortium of scientists, educators, physicians and parents who have joined together to unravel the mysteries of autism spectrum disorders, fragile X syndrome, and other developmental disorders. ... It has been suggested that Autism mercury be merged into this article or section. ...

In 1972, Amaral earned his B.A. in psychology from Northwestern University, and in 1977 his Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Psychology at the University of Rochester. From 1977-1980, Amaral was a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow, at the Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis, Missouri. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... For other schools named Northwestern please see Northwestern College. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Neurobiology is a branch of biology that is involved in the study of nervous systems of all animals from a biological and evolutionary perspective. ... The University of Rochester is a private, coeducational and nonsectarian research institution located in Rochester, New York. ... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for medical research. ... Washington University in St. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Location Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Missouri Independent City Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 66. ...

The M.I.N.D. Institute is a unique, pioneering research facility founded by UC Davis in collaboration with the parents of autistic children frustrated by the lack of answers concerning the rapidly growing epidemic of developmental disorders. The institute touts itself as the premier autism fundraising and research center in the world, after building a state-of-the-art facility in Sacramento, California, spurred by $34 million granted by the California State legislature primarily for research. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Trees Location Location of Sacramento in California Government County Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo Geographical characteristics Area     City 99. ...

Amaral has directed over a million dollars worth of research with grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH}, which has included primate research investigations on the function of the amygdala, a brain region associated with emotion processing. Much of his research at the M.I.N.D. Institute revolves around the function of the amygdala and the hippocampal complex, and their respective roles in the pathology of autism. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the United States federal governments principal biomedical and behavioral research agency. ... Families 15, See classification A primate (L. prima, first) is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. ... Location of the amygdala in the human brain The amygdala (Latin, corpus amygdaloideum) is an almond-shaped set of neurons located deep in the brains medial temporal lobe. ... The hippocampus is located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain. ...

Amaral is currently investigating "Postmortem Neuroanatomical Evaluation of the Amygdaloid Complex in Autism", in collaboration with the National Alliance for Autism Research. His earlier studies detected alterations in the amygdala, which itself underlies the social and emotional abnormalities in autism. Amaral is attempting to evaluate his hypothesis by analyzing the atypical neural organization in individuals with autism.

Amaral's awards include the McKnight Foundation Scholars Award, in 1981, the Sloan Foundation Fellow, 1983, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Merit Award, 1989. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the United States federal governments principal biomedical and behavioral research agency. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of autism-related topics

This is a list of autism-related topics. ...

External links

• UCDavis.edu - David Amaral homepage, University of California, Davis

• UCDavis.edu - M.I.N.D. Institute website
• UCDavis.edu (pdf) - The M.I.N.D. Institute Newsletter, vol 1, no 2 (Winter, 2001)
• UCDavis.edu - 'UC Davis Autism Research Testifies Before Congress', UC Davis

• AutisticSociety.org - 'Study: Brain is atypical in autistic boys', Dorsey Griffith, The Sacramento Bee (July 15, 2004)
• SARnet.org - 'Healing Autism: No Finer A Cause on the Planet', Schafer Autism Report