The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has selected Yale as one of three universities to initiate a major research project on the neurobiology of autism, the most severe developmental disorder of childhood, and related conditions. To conduct this research the NICHD, a component of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded $5.3 million to the School of Medicine over the next five years.
Autism, which arises as a result of neurobiological factors, affects the development and behavior of 1 in 1,000 children. Although the disorder results from some insult to the developing brain, its cause or causes remain unknown. Even less is known about other pervasive developmental disorders, such as Asperger's syndrome, which shares several features with autism.
"In most cases, infants who are born with (autism) lack the usual disposition to form social relationships," explains Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, who will direct Yale's research program. "Profound deficits in social interaction and communication are associated with unusual behaviors such as repetitive movements, difficulties in dealing with change, and abnormal responses to the non-social environment.
"Even though early intervention and detection have improved the outcome, the human and financial cost of autism and related conditions remains very high," adds Dr. Volkmar, who is also the Harris Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center.
Through the new project, physicians and scientists from Yale, the University of Chicago and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) will conduct a series of brain imaging projects and major studies on the molecular and family genetics of autism and its related conditions. The researchers will also study development changes that occur when individuals with autism receive treatment.
The new research grant builds on five decades of research and treatment at the Yale Child Study Center, notes Dr. Donald J. Cohen, director of the center and the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology. "This project -- the largest research commitment in the history of the field -- is truly welcomed by parents and advocates, who appreciate that only through such study can the prognosis of autism really be improved," he says.
The project was also hailed by U.S. Representative Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT), who said: "This work is a proven example of the federal investment in basic research and the impact it can have in people's daily lives. Without sustained federal support for high quality research programs, facilities, and training programs to develop future basic and clinical researchers, future advances in many areas, including brain-based psychiatric disorders, would be much more difficult to achieve.
"This grant is a model of using science to serve the clinical needs of children and families and make a real difference in their lives," she adds.