Manuel F. Casanova, MD
Gottfried and Gisela Kolb Endowed Chair in Psychiatry
University of Louisville
Research interest:
Although trained in the classical methods of neurology and neuropathology my interest has gradually shifted towards the study of abnormalities of cortical circuitry focusing on the cell minicolumn. Using computerized imaging analysis he has established the anatomical validity of the cell minicolumn. His earlier work has reported interhemispheric differences in the morphometry of minicolumns that could provide for the speciation of hominids. Localized in Brodmann area 22—part of Wernicke’s language region—the morphometric difference may play a role both in the development of language and in its disorders. His most recent studies have looked for the presence of abnormalities of minicolumnar organization and lateralization in the brains of patients who exhibit language disturbances, including autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and dyslexia. He has summarized his work on minicolumns and provided an overview of the field in recent reviews of the literature appearing in Brain and Brain, Behavior and Evolution.
