Eric Courchesne

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Eric Courchesne

American physician whose research into autism has provided valuable insights into the origins of the condition. In 1988 Courchesne and his colleagues showed that changes to the brain that lead to autism begin either in utero or shortly after birth. This finding tended to confirm a theory that autism is caused in part by a lack of certain cells that help to regulate brain activity and communication between parts of the brain.