What causes autism? As far as we know in 2013, there is no single gene or single environmental factor that accounts for the more than 1 million Americans with ASDs. Thomas R. Insel More Quotes by Thomas R. Insel More Quotes From Thomas R. Insel The good-news stories in medicine are early detection, early intervention. Thomas R. Insel intervention news-stories medicine From wearable sensors to video game treatments, everyone seems to be looking to technology as the next wave of innovation for mental health care. Thomas R. Insel innovation technology games As a scientist leading a funding agency for autism research, I think of autism as a neurodevelopmental disorder. Thomas R. Insel autism agency thinking With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, more people will have insurance coverage and, in principle, be eligible for more care. Thomas R. Insel addiction principles people The Holy Grail of neuroscience has been to understand how and where information is encoded in the brain. Thomas R. Insel holy-grail information brain Sometimes, patients with serious mental illness, just as with other serious medical illnesses, require hospitalization. In the absence of available public or private hospital beds, there are few options. Thomas R. Insel hospital medical serious sometimes Unlike the heart or kidney, which have a small, defined set of cell types, we still do not have a taxonomy of neurons, and neuroscientists still argue whether specific types of neurons are unique to humans. But there is no disputing that neurons are only about 10 percent of the cells in the human brain. Thomas R. Insel small unique brain heart Neuroscientists talk a lot about brain circuits. In fact, the word 'circuit' is probably misleading. We do not know where most circuits begin and end. And unlike an electrical circuit, brain connections are heavily reciprocal and recursive, so that a direction of information flow can be inferred but sometimes not proven. Thomas R. Insel end information brain sometimes My philosophy is really based on humility. I don't think we know enough to fix either diagnostics or therapeutics. The future of psychiatry is clinical neuroscience, based on a much deeper understanding of the brain. Thomas R. Insel think future humility brain Reports that online cognitive behavioral treatment can be as effective as in-person psychotherapy suggest that technology will expand access, extend the impact of a therapist, and expedite treatment for people who might not find 'seeing' a therapist acceptable. Thomas R. Insel find will technology people Most of our brain cells are glial cells, once thought to be mere support cells, but now understood as having a critical role in brain function. Glial cells in the human brain are markedly different from glial cells in other brains, suggesting that they may be important in the evolution of brain function. Thomas R. Insel thought support important brain I was sure I was going to be a doctor of global health or tropical medicine in some underdeveloped country. Thomas R. Insel doctor medicine health country We need to ask whether, in the long term, some individuals with a history of psychosis may do better off medication. Thomas R. Insel need better long history When we talk about the brain, it is anything but unidimensional or simplistic or reductionistic. Thomas R. Insel about anything talk brain In the 1830s, Dorothea Dix revolutionized the care of people with mental illness by taking them out of jails and caring for them in asylums, later known as state hospitals. Thomas R. Insel mental-illness care caring people What do we know about autism in 2013? Autism symptoms generally emerge before age three and usually much earlier, often as language delays or lack of social engagement. Recent research suggests that autism can be detected during the first year of life, even before classic symptoms emerge. Indeed, the symptoms may be a late stage of autism. Thomas R. Insel language research age life A National Database on Autism Research is fostering sharing of data and collaborations. Scientists are also making great strides at the interface of biology and engineering with new technologies that are laying the groundwork for future advances. Thomas R. Insel new great future research Nearly every business collects metrics on inventory, sales, and workplace process. Health care has been slow to measure these kinds of outcomes. Increasingly, general medicine, via either managed care or large practice settings, is improving by collecting data through electronic records and refining practice based on what works. Thomas R. Insel care health business practice We have to remain humble about our understanding of the brain, because even our most powerful tools remain pretty blunt instruments for decoding the brain. In fact, we still do not know how to decipher the basic language of how the brain works. Thomas R. Insel language understanding humble brain After a century of studying schizophrenia, the cause of the disorder remains unknown. Thomas R. Insel studying after unknown schizophrenia
