Adjunct Faculty
Adjunct faculty typically have an academic or research appointment at another institution and contribute or collaborate with one or more School of Medicine faculty members or programs.
Adjunct rank detailsKevin Pelphrey, PhD
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Biography
Kevin Pelphrey is an internationally renowned neuroscientist and the parent of a young woman with autism. He utilizes brain science to develop biologically-based tools for detection, stratification and individually tailored treatments. He leads the NIH Autism Center for Excellence—Multimodal Developmental Neurogenetics of Autism network that spans seven national sites. He directs an NIH postdoctoral training program to prepare scientist-clinicians for independent careers translating multidisciplinary science into novel treatments for neurodevelopmental disorders. At George Washington University, Dr. Pelphrey is the Carbonell Family Professor and director of the Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute. The institute serves as a focal point for translational research and comprehensive clinical services for autism, while also serving as a beacon for policymakers seeking information on issues surrounding policy, research and treatment of autism.
Last Updated on June 08, 2025.
Appointments
Child Study Center
Professor AdjunctPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- PhD
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2001)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Brain; Child Development; Child Psychiatry; Neurosciences; Psychiatry; Psychiatry and Psychology; Psychology, Child; Translational Research, Biomedical
ORCID
0000-0001-5407-2577
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Kevin Pelphrey's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Kevin Pelphrey's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Kevin Pelphrey is interested in exploring.
James McPartland, PhD
Brian Pittman
Fred Volkmar, MD
Godfrey Pearlson, MA, MBBS
Michal Assaf, MD
Silvia Corbera, PhD
22Publications
758Citations
Brain
Child Development
Publications
2025
Learning Explainable Imaging-Genetics Associations Related to a Neurological Disorder
Wang J, Jacokes Z, Van Horn J, Schatz M, Pelphrey K, Venkataraman A. Learning Explainable Imaging-Genetics Associations Related to a Neurological Disorder. Lecture Notes In Computer Science 2025, 15970: 347-357. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-05141-7_34.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGenetic dataGenetic variationBiological pathwaysCross-attention mechanismEarly fusion strategyDeep learning frameworkComplex brain disordersAlzheimer's diseaseBlack-box techniquesStructural variationsSparsity lossCross-attentionSimilarity lossBaseline approachesLearning frameworkFusion strategyAttention matrixLoss functionNeurological disordersPathwayBlack-boxComplex interplayGeneticsTraditional methodsBiSCoT: Behavior-Informed Subgroup-Consistent Connectome Template for Interpretable Brain Network Analysis
Chen Z, Beeler-Duden S, Lawson S, Jacokes Z, Van Horn J, Pelphrey K, Venkataraman A. BiSCoT: Behavior-Informed Subgroup-Consistent Connectome Template for Interpretable Brain Network Analysis. Lecture Notes In Computer Science 2025, 15971: 109-119. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-05162-2_11.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsResting-state fMRIAutism spectrum disorderGraph convolutional networkDownstream prediction tasksBrain network analysisSpectrum disorderBehavioral profileCompression frameworkRs-fMRIConvolutional networkLearning subnetworkPrediction taskMultidimensional behavioral profilesFunctional subnetworksPooling processConnectivity featuresBehavioral informationConnectivity matrixSubnetworksDataset of individualsBiomarker identificationWidespread associations between behavioral metrics and brain microstructure in ASD suggest age mediates subtypes of ASD
Ressa H, Newman B, Jacokes Z, McPartland J, Kleinhans N, Druzgal T, Pelphrey K, Van Horn J. Widespread associations between behavioral metrics and brain microstructure in ASD suggest age mediates subtypes of ASD. Imaging Neuroscience 2025, 3: imag.a.144. PMID: 40948605, PMCID: PMC12423640, DOI: 10.1162/imag.a.144.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsAutism spectrum disorderAge-related maturationRepetitive behaviorsCognitive evaluationNeuroimaging markersMarkers of autism spectrum disorderSubtype of autism spectrum disorderBehavioral metricsComposite test scoresEvaluation of autismAdolescent brainMachine learning cluster analysisLanguage performanceBrain metricsSpectrum disorderBehavioral testsASD subtypesNeuroimaging dataSensory sensitivityBehavior trajectoriesNeurodevelopmental disordersSocial communicationBrain microstructureDevelopmental periodTest scoresUsing the excitation/inhibition ratio to optimize the classification of autism and schizophrenia
Uscătescu L, Hyatt C, Dunn J, Kronbichler M, Calhoun V, Corbera S, Pelphrey K, Pittman B, Pearlson G, Assaf M. Using the excitation/inhibition ratio to optimize the classification of autism and schizophrenia. Translational Psychiatry 2025, 15: 234. PMID: 40634290, PMCID: PMC12241497, DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03455-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAutism Diagnostic Observation ScheduleBermond-Vorst Alexithymia QuestionnaireEmpathy QuotientE/I ratioResting state fMRI dataClassification of autismReplication datasetAlexithymia QuestionnairePANSSSchizophreniaObservation ScheduleFMRI dataGroup differencesAutismExcitation/inhibition ratioIQE/IHurst (H) exponentRandom forest classifierExcitation/inhibitionTDClassification performanceTime courseClassification analysisExploratory datasetMicroglial regulation of white matter development and its disruption in autism spectrum disorder
Canada K, Evans T, Pelphrey K. Microglial regulation of white matter development and its disruption in autism spectrum disorder. Cerebral Cortex 2025, 35: bhaf109. PMID: 40302613, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf109.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAutism spectrum disorderMaternal immune activationWhite matter developmentSpectrum disorderPresentation of autism spectrum disorderService of perceptionCortical brain regionsBrain-resident immune cellsWhite matterResident immune cellsSocial cognitionCore symptomsWhite matter abnormalitiesBrain regionsBrain functionNeurodevelopmental disordersOL lineage cellsImmune dysregulationEfficient neuronal signalingImmune activationImmune cellsCytokine releaseMicroglial reactivityHuman brainLineage cellsMicrobiome’s effect on white matter in autism
Canada K, Evans T, Pelphrey K. Microbiome’s effect on white matter in autism. Journal Of Neurophysiology 2025, 133: 1150-1158. PMID: 39998297, DOI: 10.1152/jn.00607.2024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsAutism spectrum disorderCore ASD symptomsAutism spectrum disorder managementRepetitive behavior patternsBrain imaging dataWhite matter developmentDiffusion tensor imagingNeuroimaging studiesSymptom severitySpectrum disorderGut-brain axisSocial skillsLanguage acquisitionSensory processingSocial communicationBidirectional relationshipOligodendrocyte functionTensor imagingShort-chain fatty acidsLongitudinal studyMotor performanceAutismDevelopmental patternsReduced myelinationNeuroinflammatory pathways
2024
Unsupervised Dimensionality Reduction Techniques for the Assessment of ASD Biomarkers
Jacokes Z, Adoremos I, Hussain A, Newman B, Pelphrey K, Van Horn J. Unsupervised Dimensionality Reduction Techniques for the Assessment of ASD Biomarkers. 2024, 614-630. DOI: 10.1142/9789819807024_0044.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutism spectrum disorderNeural basisDevelopmental disabilitiesCognitive traitsDiagnostic disparitiesSpectrum disorderNeuroimaging techniquesASD biomarkersSex differencesSocial functioningASD researchEffects of gene expressionNeuronal microstructureTailored interventionsBiological influencesGenetic interactionsGene expressionPhenotypic heterogeneityAutismCognitionPrincipal component analysisUnsupervised Dimensionality Reduction Techniques for the Assessment of ASD Biomarkers
Jacokes Z, Adoremos I, Hussain A, Newman B, Pelphrey K, Van Horn J, Consortium A. Unsupervised Dimensionality Reduction Techniques for the Assessment of ASD Biomarkers. Biocomputing 2024, 30: 614-630. PMID: 39670400, PMCID: PMC12262183, DOI: 10.1142/9789819807024_0044.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAutism spectrum disorderNeural basisDevelopmental disabilitiesCognitive traitsDiagnostic disparitiesSpectrum disorderNeuroimaging techniquesASD biomarkersSex differencesSocial functioningASD researchEffects of gene expressionNeuronal microstructureTailored interventionsBiological influencesGenetic interactionsGene expressionPhenotypic heterogeneityAutismCognitionPrincipal component analysisEarly‐ and Late‐Stage Auditory Processing of Speech Versus Non‐Speech Sounds in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An ERP and Oscillatory Activity Study
Edgar E, McGuire K, Pelphrey K, Ventola P, van Noordt S, Crowley M. Early‐ and Late‐Stage Auditory Processing of Speech Versus Non‐Speech Sounds in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An ERP and Oscillatory Activity Study. Developmental Psychobiology 2024, 66: e22552. PMID: 39508446, DOI: 10.1002/dev.22552.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAutism spectrum disorderNon-speech soundsSpeech soundsTD childrenSpectrum disorderCortical activityResponses to speech soundsProcessing stagesSensitivity to speechAtypical auditory processingTheta phase coherenceAuditory speech processingP3a amplitudeAuditory speechIntra-individual variabilityDevelopment of cortical networksASD childrenCortical networksSpeech processingAuditory processingElectroencephalography sessionLanguage processingCortical responsesAutismSpeechDisentangling negative and positive symptoms in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder
Corbera S, Wexler B, Bell M, Pittman B, Pelphrey K, Pearlson G, Assaf M. Disentangling negative and positive symptoms in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Schizophrenia Research 2024, 271: 1-8. PMID: 39002525, PMCID: PMC11384336, DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2024.07.002.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsAutism spectrum disorderPositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleAutism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-GenericExperiential negative symptomsPositive symptomsNegative symptomsExploratory factor analysisSpectrum disorderNegative Syndrome ScaleTarget negative symptomsSyndrome ScaleDiscriminant function analysisSZ relativesAssociated with quality of lifeSchizophreniaSocial skillsSocial functioningDiagnostic classificationAutismFactor analysisAssociated with qualityPredictor of diagnosisSymptomsDisordersQuality of life