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This webinar was made possible in part by a generous grant from Local 25, Boston Teamsters.

Dr. Casanova earned her doctorate in Anatomy Science & Neurobiology from the University of Louisville’s Medical School. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow with the University of South Carolina’s School of Medicine at Greenville, working in close conjunction with the Greenville Health System’s (GHS) Departments of Psychology and DevelopmentalBehavioral Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics. She has research background in neurobiology, developmental biology, and some genetics, dermatology, and neuropathology, with particular foci on neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and connective tissue disorders like EhlersDanlos Syndrome (EDS)/Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD). Her current research foci/topics of interest include: 1) functional classification of highrisk autism genes; 2) the characterization of genomic features common to autism risk genes and those genes’ roles in the evolution of animal morphology; and 3) etiological overlap between autism and EDS/HSD. In addition to her research interests in EDS/HSD, she is also a zebra herself and is passionate about patient advocacy. She blogs at Science Over a Cuppa.

00:00 Intro
2:20 – What are EhlersDanlos Syndromes (EDS)
3:42 – Types and prevalence of EDS
5:34 – Joint hypermobility spectrum
7:18 – hEDS and HSD
8:32 – Fibrillar collagens
9:48 – Collagen fibers in EDS skin
11:58 – Study: Ultrastructural differences in collagen in “unaffected” family members
13:07 – EDS and Autism
14:32 – Study: Hereditary relationships between EDS and autism
17:39 – EDS, autism, and the maternal immune system
18:52 – Study: Immune symptoms in EDS
22:20 – Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS)
24:18 – Marfan Syndrome and TGFbeta proteins
26:15 – LoeysDietz Syndrome
26:30 – Nonfibril collagen as antibacterial agents
29:16 – Hormonal and autonomic symptoms in EDS and autism
31:25 – Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and treatments
37:03 – Connective tissue in the brain
44:35 – Future research avenues
47:30 – Question and answer session