Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum:
Interhemispheric Connections and Mental and Social AbilitiesWarren S. Brown, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology and Director of the Travis Research Institute, Fuller Graduate School of Psychology, Pasadena, California
Lynn K. Paul, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 

Since 1992, the laboratory of Warren Brown at the Travis Research Institute (Fuller Graduate School of Psychology) has been studying the cognitive and psychosocial consequences of a brain disorder involving absence (agenesis) of the corpus callosum (ACC).  The corpus callosum is the largest neural pathway in the brain, composed of over 200 million axons, that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres.  ACC is a congenital condition in which this pathway is either completely or partially absent. 

 This project has been studying individuals with ACC and normal IQs with respect to: 

• interhemispheric interactions 
• cognitive capacities 
• psychosocial abilities 

Thus far, the research has shown that individuals with ACC have subtle-to-marked deficits in all 3 areas. In 2007, we published a major review of this research in Nature Reviews Neuroscience with our collaborators from Caltech and UCSF. 

[Paul, L.K., Brown, W.S., Adolphs, R., Tyszka, J.M., Richards, L.J., Mukherjee, P., and Sherr, E.H. (2007) Agenesis of the corpus callosum:  Genetic, developmental, and functional aspects of connectivity. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 8, 287-299.] 

For recent updates, check out TRI's research on Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum  at the TRI website.  
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"I was a research assistant/fellow with the Travis Research Institute, the Neuropsychology Laboratory for two years.  I have found my job as a research fellow very rewarding for three reasons.  First, I was afforded the chance to meet individuals with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum and to interact with them closely.  It was exciting to hear their stories of coping with this disorder and to see first-hand the difficulties that they encounter.  Working in the lab has given a face to the disorder that we study and has given more depth and meaning to the research that we do.  Second, this job has given me the opportunity to hone my abilities in administration and leadership.  It has trained me in paying attention to detail and in keeping track of several aspects of the job at the same time – qualities that I know will serve me in good stead as a clinician-researcher.  Third, the job has also helped me in my accomplishment of my own research project.  I have been kept up-to-date with the current literature on the subject matter and I had familiarity with the data that made the preparation of my proposal easier and smoother."     

Marie Renee Cutiongco, 5^th year student