May 61 min read

Panjab University team gets ₹77 Lakh grant for Autism Study

University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS) got a big amount of money, ₹77 Lakh for a special research project about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This project is led by Assistant Professor Dr. Anurag Kuhad. They want to find out how the reward circuits in the brain are different in autistic people compared to typical addicts.

The project is called "Bridging the Gap: Understanding Reward Circuitry Disparities between Autism and Normal Addiction." It's a collaboration with the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Australia. Dr. Anurag Kuhad's team includes important people like Professor Anil Kumar and Assistant Professor Dr. Ranjana Bhandari from the Florey Institute. Also, Senior Scientist Dr. Leah Walker is involved, guided by Director Professor Andrew J. Lawrence.

This money will start the project, looking closely at how reward circuits work in autism. This might lead to new ways to help people with autism. It will help build connections with international partners, publish research together, support students' travel, and hold workshops about autism to provide better support for people with autism everywhere.

Report by Shah shweta Sanjay

Graphic by Khushi Gupta