NIH Launches International Network on Biology and Brain Development in Autism

National Institute of ChildHealth, and Human DevelopmentFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Friday, May 30, 1997, Robert Bock

Two institutes of the National Institutes of Health announced that they will put in place a five year, $27 million, international collaborative network to study the neurobiology and genetics of autism.

Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and James B. Snow, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) said that their Institutes will lead the effort.

"This is the largest commitment to a single autism research venture in history," Dr. Alexander said. "Autism is a major pediatric health problem in the United States, with health care costs exceeding $13 billion per year."

According to Dr. James B. Snow, "For individuals with autism and their families, we have recent technological advances that create unprecedented opportunities in research in the neurobiology and genetics of autism."

Current research findings suggest that there is a strong genetic basis for autism. Autism apparently originates during the early stages of brain development and results in severe problems in communication, social interaction, and in repetitive, sometimes bizarre, actions and interests. The causes of this disorder are uncertain, and there is no biological test to confirm its diagnosis. This autism research network will combine scientists at 24 universities with families in 13 states and in Canada, Britain, France, and Germany to study the causes, including genetics, the underlying biological mechanisms, and the developmental course of autism, Dr. Alexander added. The effort is co-funded by NICHD and NIDCD, with additional funds provided by the National Institutes of Health Office of the Director and Office of Alternative Medicine.

The network came about as a result of a Congressionally mandated conference on the State of the Science in Autism, which took place in April, 1995, to identify gaps in the knowledge of autism and directions for future research.

"This network will begin to make the research recommendations from the NIH conference a reality," said Dr. Marie Bristol, coordinator of the NIH conference and the Autism network. "The collaborative project responds to a request from Congress for more research on autism."

Dr. Bristol added that the network will bring together premier researchers in autism and outstanding scientists who have never before worked in autism research to find out how the disorder develops.

NICHD/NIDCD Collaborative Network Neurobiology and Genetics of Autism