Greetings

The Developmental Disorders Section was established in October 2010 with the establishment of the Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, and under the direction of Dr. Kaeko Ogura, the laboratory began research to clarify the characteristics of people with developmental disorders and to survey the actual status of support for them.

In April 2013, I assumed the post of section chief and have been working on research to clarify the brain mechanisms behind "difficulties in living" in daily life, such as sensory issues and difficulties in using tools. I myself studied physiology, and before arriving at NRCD, I conducted basic research on how the brain recognizes time and space with a background in neurophysiology and neuroscience. On the other hand, among developmental disorders, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tends to focus on impairments in social communication, but it is known that various sensory and motor problems exist, including sensory hypersensitivity and hypoesthesia. Moreover, communication itself is based on the flow of information between people, and the processing of sensory information is closely related to it. Therefore, we believe that research on how the brain processes sensory information can contribute to elucidating the mechanisms of these disorders.

In our section, specialists in various fields such as psychology, neuroscience, engineering, and medicine gather to conduct research in collaboration with clinicians, patients, and researchers inside and outside our center. Furthermore, our goal is to utilize the fruits of research to develop new support devices/methods to resolve the "difficulties in living" associated with developmental disorders.

Makoto WADA, MD & phD,
Developmental Disorders Section,
Dept. of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions
National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities