Sven Bölte, PhD
Autism Spectrum Disorders / Karolinska Institutet Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders - KIND
KIND was established in the beginning of 2010. Its research mission is to broadly address the origins, presentation, assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These efforts include refining clinical operationalization, identification of neuropsychological and neurological correlates of childhood psychopathology, and the exploration of their (epi-) genetic fundamentals. A pivotal objective of KIND is to enhance the networking and synergies between research and clinical practice in order to generate scientific results with strong patient gain. Therefore, applied research projects, for instance the development and evaluation of diagnostic and intervention tools, are also a priority on KINDs agenda. KIND works in close cooperation with the Child Psychiatric Division of Stockholm County, other departments at KI (e.g. Medical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Biosciences & Nutrition), the Stockholm Brain Institute, and interest organizations (e.g. Autism & Asperger Förbundet). Moreover, KIND benefits from mutual exchanges with international partners and collaborations, like the European Autism Screening Network.
Key topics in our research
- Multi-level examinations (genetic, epigenetic, neurofunctional, neuroanatomical, neurocognitive, psychopathological) of monozygotic twins discordant for ASD.
The research aims to accomplish novel insights into ASD etiologies, identify biomarkers for early detection, and generate new hypotheses for biologically founded treatment options. For this purpose the largest ever examined sample of twins discordant and concordant for ASD recruited from the Swedish Twin Registry.
- Development and evaluation of diagnostic instruments for clinical and cognitive phenotyping in ASD and ADHD.
Selected Publications
Autistic Traits and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The clinical validity of two measures presuming a continuum of social communication skills.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (in press)
Sex differences in cognitive domains and their clinical correlates in higher functioning autism spectrum disorders.
Autism: The International Journal of Research & Practice (in press)
