News July 25, 2014

Ledge Talks: The Knowledge Series – The Inconvenient Truth About Autism Spectrum Disorder

(YELLOWKNIFE)  Friday, July 25, 2014 – The “inconvenient truth” about autism is the subject of the Legislative Library’s second presentation of Ledge Talks: The Knowledge Series, on July 30, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly Building.

The evening’s speaker will be Dr. Scott Selleck, Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The Pennsylvania State University.  A leader in the field of neuroscience, Dr. Selleck will discuss the current understanding of the genetics of autism, the possibility that environmental and genetic factors contribute to susceptibility, and the feasibility of pharmaceutical treatment for a set of diseases that are affected by hundreds to thousands of different genes.  The lessons learned from the study of autism, Dr. Selleck suggests, have implications for research of other complex human traits, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease.  

There will be time for questions and discussion following Dr. Selleck’s presentation. Media and the public are welcome.

Ledge Talks: The Knowledge Series is a forum for a wide variety of speakers to present current ideas, science, traditional knowledge, and issues relevant to the Northwest Territories and beyond.  Ledge Talks will also showcase research done by the many GNWT employees – often with collaborating partners – who are making substantial contributions to the world’s understanding of the North. 

For information on Dr. Scott Selleck: 

http://bmb.psu.edu/directory/sbs24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWlIqX6jalM&safe=active

For more information, please contact:

Vera Raschke, Legislative Librarian
Legislative Assembly of the NWT
P: 867-669-2203 or toll-free 1-800-661-0784
F: 867-920-4735
E: vera_raschke@gov.nt.ca