This program is sponsored by the Covley Prize, which honors scientists for breakthroughs

in astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience.

The Covley Prize is a partnership among the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters,

the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, and the U.S.-based Covley Foundation in Los

Angeles, California.

I'm Alan Alder, and this is Clear and Vivid, conversations about connecting and communicating.

In the 80s, you really could tell a parent that your child has a devastating neurologic

disease.

We think it's genetic, there's a chance that it may happen in one in two or one in four

with every pregnancy, but we don't know the cause.

We can't do anything about it.

And that I found really hard.

So I was starting to doubt myself how I am going to do a career in neurology with nothing

to offer to the patient.

So that's when I decided I think what I need to do is go learn how to do research, learn

how to do molecular biology and genetic research that maybe I can find the genes for some of

these diseases.

That's who to jog be.

Her decision to go hunting for genes that cause rare but devastating brain disorders, a

decision that was against her boss's wishes, is now helping the patient she was once unable

to help.

Her work has also led to insights into much more common neurological problems such as autism.

...