Dr Michael Lombardo

Michael Lombardo

University position

Honorary Senior Researcher

Departments

Department of Psychiatry

Institutes

Autism Research Centre

Email

ml437@cam.ac.uk

Home page

http://sites.google.com/site/mv... (personal home page)

Research Themes

Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience

Clinical and Veterinary Neuroscience

Interests

I am interested in understanding the mechanisms occurring in early development that are behind atypical brain development in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Shared neural circuits for mentalizing about the self and other.  a) Activation for mentalizing about self (red voxels) or other (blue voxels).  White voxels denote overlap for self- and other-mentalizing.  b) Common functional connectivity from shared vMPFC, PCC, and RTPJ seed regions.  Red voxels show connectivity for self-mentalizing and blue voxels are for other-mentalizing.  White voxels denote the overlap in connectivity for self- and other-mentalizing
Early autism language subgroups differentiate in neural response to speech
View image full-size (2081x2343 pixels)

Research Focus

Keywords

autism

social communication

steroid hormones

language

neurodevelopment

Clinical conditions

Autism

Childhood disorders

Language disorders

Equipment

Behavioural analysis

Computational modelling

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Neuropsychological testing

Collaborators

Cambridge

Simon Baron-Cohen

Ed Bullmore

Bhismadev Chakrabarti

Meng-Chuan Lai

International

Eric Courchesne

Prantik Kundu

Karen Pierce

Tiziano Pramparo

Associated News Items


    Key publications

    Baron-Cohen S, Auyeung B, Nørgaard-Pedersen B, Hougaard DM, Abdallah MW, Melgaard L, Cohen AS, Chakrabarti B, Ruta L, Lombardo MV (2015), “Elevated fetal steroidogenic activity in autism.” Mol Psychiatry 20(3):369-76 PDF Details

    Lombardo MV, Pierce K, Eyler LT, Carter Barnes C, Ahrens-Barbeau C, Solso S, Campbell K, Courchesne E (2015), “Different Functional Neural Substrates for Good and Poor Language Outcome in Autism.” Neuron Details

    Pramparo T, Pierce K, Lombardo MV, Carter Barnes C, Marinero S, Ahrens-Barbeau C, Murray SS, Lopez L, Xu R, Courchesne E (2015), “Prediction of autism by translation and immune/inflammation coexpressed genes in toddlers from pediatric community practices.” JAMA Psychiatry 72(4):386-94 Details

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S (2014), “Autism.” Lancet 383(9920):896-910 Details

    Auyeung B, Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S (2013), “Prenatal and postnatal hormone effects on the human brain and cognition.” Pflugers Arch 465(5):557-71 Details

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Baron-Cohen S (2013), “Subgrouping the autism "spectrum": reflections on DSM-5.” PLoS Biol 11(4):e1001544 PDF Details

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Suckling J, Ruigrok AN, Chakrabarti B, Ecker C, Deoni SC, Craig MC, Murphy DG, Bullmore ET, MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S (2013), “Biological sex affects the neurobiology of autism.” Brain 136(Pt 9):2799-815 Details

    Lombardo MV, Ashwin E, Auyeung B, Chakrabarti B, Lai MC, Taylor K, Hackett G, Bullmore ET, Baron-Cohen S (2012), “Fetal Programming Effects of Testosterone on the Reward System and Behavioral Approach Tendencies in Humans.” Biol Psychiatry Details

    Lombardo MV, Ashwin E, Auyeung B, Chakrabarti B, Taylor K, Hackett G, Bullmore ET, Baron-Cohen S (2012), “Fetal Testosterone Influences Sexually Dimorphic Gray Matter in the Human Brain.” J Neurosci 32(2):674-680 PDF Details

    Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Lai MC, MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S (2012), “Self-referential and social cognition in a case of autism and agenesis of the corpus callosum.” Mol Autism 3(1):14 PDF Details

    Baron-Cohen S, Lombardo MV, Auyeung B, Ashwin E, Chakrabarti B, Knickmeyer R (2011), “Why are autism spectrum conditions more prevalent in males?” PLoS Biol 9(6):e1001081 PDF Details

    Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S (2011), “The role of the self in mindblindness in autism.” Conscious Cogn 20(1):130-40 Details

    Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S, Belmonte MK, Chakrabarti B (2011), “Neural endophenotypes of social behaviour in autism spectrum conditions” Oxford Handbook of Social Neuroscience

    Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Bullmore ET, Baron-Cohen S, MRC AIMS Consortium (2011), “Specialization of right temporo-parietal junction for mentalizing and its relation to social impairments in autism.” Neuroimage 56(3):1832-8 Details

    Chura LR, Lombardo MV, Ashwin E, Auyeung B, Chakrabarti B, Bullmore ET, Baron-Cohen S (2010), “Organizational effects of fetal testosterone on human corpus callosum size and asymmetry.” Psychoneuroendocrinology 35(1):122-32 Details

    Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S (2010), “Unraveling the paradox of the autistic self” WIREs Cogn Sci 1(3): 393-403

    Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Bullmore ET, Sadek SA, Pasco G, Wheelwright SJ, Suckling J, MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S (2010), “Atypical neural self-representation in autism.” Brain 133(Pt 2):611-24 Details

    Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Bullmore ET, Wheelwright SJ, Sadek SA, Suckling J, MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S (2010), “Shared neural circuits for mentalizing about the self and others.” J Cogn Neurosci 22(7):1623-35 Details

    Lombardo MV, Barnes JL, Wheelwright SJ, & Baron-Cohen S (2007), “Self-referential cognition and empathy in autism” PLoS One 2:e883 PDF Details

    Publications

    2015

    Auyeung B, Lombardo MV, Heinrichs M, Chakrabarti B, Sule A, Deakin JB, Bethlehem RA, Dickens L, Mooney N, Sipple JA, Thiemann P, Baron-Cohen S (2015), “Oxytocin increases eye contact during a real-time, naturalistic social interaction in males with and without autism.” Transl Psychiatry 5:e507 PDF Details

    Balardin JB, Sato JR, Vieira G, Feng Y, Daly E, Murphy C, MRC AIMS Consortium, Murphy D, Ecker C (2015), “Relationship Between Surface-Based Brain Morphometric Measures and Intelligence in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Influence of History of Language Delay.” Autism Res Details

    Cadman T, Spain D, Johnston P, Russell A, Mataix-Cols D, Craig M, Deeley Q, Robertson D, Murphy C, Gillan N, Wilson CE, Mendez M, Ecker C, Daly E, Findon J, Glaser K, MRC AIMS Consortium, Happé F, Murphy D (2015), “Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Adults with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Does Self-Report with the OCI-R Tell Us?” Autism Res Details

    Deoni SC, Zinkstok JR, Daly E, Ecker C, MRC AIMS Consortium, Williams SC, Murphy DG (2015), “White-matter relaxation time and myelin water fraction differences in young adults with autism.” Psychol Med 45(4):795-805 Details

    Fanti KA, Panayiotou G, Lombardo MV, Kyranides MN (2015), “Unemotional on all counts: Evidence of reduced affective responses in individuals with high callous-unemotional traits across emotion systems and valences.” Soc Neurosci Details

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Auyeung B, Chakrabarti B, Baron-Cohen S (2015), “Sex/gender differences and autism: setting the scene for future research.” J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 54(1):11-24 PDF Details

    Moseley RL, Shtyrov Y, Mohr B, Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S, Pulvermüller F (2015), “Lost for emotion words: what motor and limbic brain activity reveals about autism and semantic theory.” Neuroimage 104:413-22 Details

    2014

    Chantiluke K, Christakou A, Murphy CM, Giampietro V, Daly EM, Ecker C, Brammer M, Murphy DG, the MRC AIMS Consortium, Rubia K (2014), “Disorder-specific functional abnormalities during temporal discounting in youth with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism and comorbid ADHD and Autism.” Psychiatry Res Details

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Ecker C, Chakrabarti B, Suckling J, Bullmore ET, Happé F, MRC AIMS Consortium, Murphy DG, Baron-Cohen S (2014), “Neuroanatomy of Individual Differences in Language in Adult Males with Autism.” Cereb Cortex PDF Details

    Moseley RL, Pulvermüller F, Mohr B, Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S, Shtyrov Y (2014), “Brain routes for reading in adults with and without autism: EMEG evidence.” J Autism Dev Disord 44(1):137-53 Details

    Murphy CM, Christakou A, Daly EM, Ecker C, Giampietro V, Brammer M, Smith AB, Johnston P, Robertson DM, MRC AIMS Consortium, Murphy DG, Rubia K (2014), “Abnormal Functional Activation and Maturation of Fronto-Striato-Temporal and Cerebellar Regions During Sustained Attention in Autism Spectrum Disorder.” Am J Psychiatry Details

    Ruigrok AN, Salimi-Khorshidi G, Lai MC, Baron-Cohen S, Lombardo MV, Tait RJ, Suckling J (2014), “A meta-analysis of sex differences in human brain structure.” Neurosci Biobehav Rev 39:34-50 Details

    Suckling J, Henty J, Ecker C, Deoni SC, Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S, Jezzard P, Barnes A, Chakrabarti B, Ooi C, Lai MC, Williams SC, Murphy DG, Bullmore E, for the MRC AIMS Consortium (2014), “Are power calculations useful? A multicentre neuroimaging study.” Hum Brain Mapp Details

    Walsh ND, Dalgleish T, Lombardo MV, Dunn VJ, Van Harmelen AL, Ban M, Goodyer IM (2014), “General and specific effects of early-life psychosocial adversities on adolescent grey matter volume.” Neuroimage Clin 4:308-18 PDF Details

    Wilson CE, Happé F, Wheelwright SJ, Ecker C, Lombardo MV, Johnston P, Daly E, Murphy CM, Spain D, Lai MC, Chakrabarti B, Sauter DA, MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S, Murphy DG (2014), “The Neuropsychology of Male Adults With High-Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome.” Autism Res Details

    2013

    Christakou A, Murphy CM, Chantiluke K, Cubillo AI, Smith AB, Giampietro V, Daly E, Ecker C, Robertson D, MRC AIMS consortium, Murphy DG, Rubia K (2013), “Disorder-specific functional abnormalities during sustained attention in youth with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and with autism.” Mol Psychiatry 18(2):236-44 Details

    Ecker C, Ginestet C, Feng Y, Johnston P, Lombardo MV, Lai MC, Suckling J, Palaniyappan L, Daly E, Murphy CM, Williams SC, Bullmore ET, Baron-Cohen S, Brammer M, Murphy DG, MRC AIMS Consortium (2013), “Brain surface anatomy in adults with autism: the relationship between surface area, cortical thickness, and autistic symptoms.” JAMA Psychiatry 70(1):59-70 Details

    Ecker C, Ronan L, Feng Y, Daly E, Murphy C, Ginestet CE, Brammer M, Fletcher PC, Bullmore ET, Suckling J, Baron-Cohen S, Williams S, Loth E, MRC AIMS Consortium, Murphy DG (2013), “Intrinsic gray-matter connectivity of the brain in adults with autism spectrum disorder.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110(32):13222-7 Details

    Moseley RL, Mohr B, Lombardo MV, Baron-Cohen S, Hauk O, Pulvermüller F (2013), “Brain and behavioral correlates of action semantic deficits in autism.” Front Hum Neurosci 7:725 Details

    Sato JR, Hoexter MQ, Oliveira PP Jr, Brammer MJ, MRC AIMS Consortium, Murphy D, Ecker C (2013), “Inter-regional cortical thickness correlations are associated with autistic symptoms: a machine-learning approach.” J Psychiatr Res 47(4):453-9 Details

    2012

    Beacher FD, Minati L, Baron-Cohen S, Lombardo MV, Lai MC, Gray MA, Harrison NA, Critchley HD (2012), “Autism attenuates sex differences in brain structure: a combined voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging study.” AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 33(1):83-9 Details

    Beacher FD, Radulescu E, Minati L, Baron-Cohen S, Lombardo MV, Lai MC, Walker A, Howard D, Gray MA, Harrison NA, Critchley HD (2012), “Sex Differences and Autism: Brain Function during Verbal Fluency and Mental Rotation.” PLoS One 7(6):e38355 Details

    Ecker C, Suckling J, Deoni SC, Lombardo MV, Bullmore ET, Baron-Cohen S, Catani M, Jezzard P, Barnes A, Bailey AJ, Williams SC, Murphy DG, for the MRC AIMS Consortium (2012), “Brain Anatomy and Its Relationship to Behavior in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multicenter Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.” Arch Gen Psychiatry 69(2):195-209 Details

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Ecker C, Sadek SA, Wheelwright SJ, Murphy DG, Suckling J, Bullmore ET, MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S (2012), “Individual differences in brain structure underpin empathizing-systemizing cognitive styles in male adults.” Neuroimage Details

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Ruigrok AN, Chakrabarti B, Wheelwright SJ, Auyeung B, Allison C, MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S (2012), “Cognition in males and females with autism: similarities and differences.” PLoS One 7(10):e47198 PDF Details

    Langen M, Leemans A, Johnston P, Ecker C, Daly E, Murphy CM, Dell'acqua F, Durston S, the AIMS Consortium, Murphy DG (2012), “Fronto-striatal circuitry and inhibitory control in autism: Findings from diffusion tensor imaging tractography.” Cortex 48(2):183-193 Details

    Sundram F, Deeley Q, Sarkar S, Daly E, Latham R, Craig M, Raczek M, Fahy T, Picchioni M, UK AIMS Network, Barker GJ, Murphy DG (2012), “White matter microstructural abnormalities in the frontal lobe of adults with antisocial personality disorder.” Cortex 48(2):216-29 Details

    2011

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Pasco G, Ruigrok AN, Wheelwright SJ, Sadek SA, Chakrabarti B, MRC AIMS Consortium, Baron-Cohen S (2011), “A behavioral comparison of male and female adults with high functioning autism spectrum conditions.” PLoS One 6(6):e20835 PDF Details

    2010

    Beer JS, Lombardo MV, Bhanji JP (2010), “Roles of Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Orbitofrontal Cortex in Self-evaluation.” J Cogn Neurosci 22(9):2108-19 Details

    Ecker C, Rocha-Rego V, Johnston P, Mourao-Miranda J, Marquand A, Daly EM, Brammer MJ, Murphy C, Murphy DG, MRC AIMS Consortium (2010), “Investigating the predictive value of whole-brain structural MR scans in autism: a pattern classification approach.” Neuroimage 49(1):44-56 Details

    Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Sadek SA, Pasco G, Wheelwright SJ, Bullmore ET, Baron-Cohen S, MRC AIMS Consortium, Suckling J (2010), “A Shift to Randomness of Brain Oscillations in People with Autism.” Biol Psychiatry Details

    2009

    Barnes JL, Lombardo MV, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S (2009), “Moral Dilemmas Film Task: a study of spontaneous narratives by individuals with autism spectrum conditions.” Autism Res Details

    Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Baron-Cohen S (2009), “The amygdala in autism: not adapting to faces?” Am J Psychiatry 166(4):395-7 Details

    Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Baron-Cohen S (2009), “What neuroimaging and perceptions of self-other similarity can tell us about the mechanism underlying mentalizing.” Behav Brain Sci 32(2):152-153

    Minio-Paluello I, Lombardo MV, Chakrabarti B, Wheelwright S, Baron-Cohen S (2009), “Response to Smith's Letter to the Editor 'Emotional Empathy in Autism Spectrum Conditions: Weak, Intact, or Heightened?'” J Autism Dev Disord

    2008

    Beer JS, Stallen M, Lombardo MV, Gonsalkorale K, Cunningham WA, Sherman JW (2008), “The Quadruple Process model approach to examining the neural underpinnings of prejudice.” Neuroimage 43(4):775-83 Details

    Cohen MX, Lombardo MV, Blumenfeld RS (2008), “Covariance-based subdivision of the human striatum using T1-weighted MRI.” Eur J Neurosci 27(6):1534-46 Details