Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders

Overview

<p>The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to encourage research grant applications to support research designed to elucidate the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and optimal means of service delivery in relation to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). An R03 grant supports small, discrete, well-defined projects that can be completed in two years and that require limited resources. R03 applications may include development of new research methodologies or technology, secondary analysis of existing data, and pilot or feasibility studies. Preliminary data are not required, particularly in applications proposing pilot or feasibility studies.</p> <p><strong>Research Objectives</strong></p> <p>Autism Spectrum Disorders share a cluster of impairments in social communication, as well as the presence of restricted/stereotyped behavior, interests, or activities. These complex disorders are usually of lifelong duration and affect multiple aspects of development, learning, and adaptation at home and in the community, thus representing a pressing public health need. The etiologies of these disorders are not yet understood, but may include a combination of genetic and environmental influences.</p> <p>Basic research into the pathophysiology of ASD, including research on brain mechanisms, is of special interest. Also of high priority are clinical and applied investigations that may lead to the development of new treatments and interventions.</p> <p><strong>Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, those described below:</strong></p> <p><strong>Epidemiology:</strong> Studies of the genetic and environmental epidemiology of ASD to determine risk and protective processes in the etiology of the disorder, including environmental exposures during pregnancy and early childhood; longitudinal studies of high-risk populations; epidemiologic research on the interplay of genetic and non-genetic (e.g., environmental and other modifiable exposures); studies of the developmental course of ASD across the life-span; studies that characterize the range of phenotypic expression within families; and research that characterizes and quantifies risk and protective processes associated with co-occurring/co-morbid features.</p> <p><strong>Screening, Early Identification, and Diagnosis:</strong> Studies of key features of ASD associated with various stages of development, including those focused on adults; development of new screening tools for use in a variety of settings; assessment of comorbid features including epilepsy; and the creation of new measures to be used in longitudinal studies, as well as measures that further differentiate subtypes of ASD.</p> <p><strong>Genomic Studies:</strong> Unbiased and well-powered family-based or population-based genetic analyses that aim to: identify genomic factors influencing risk, symptom severity, phenotypic trajectories, and the spectrum of co-morbidities; identify specific susceptibility genes using whole genome/exome approaches; investigate epigenetic mechanisms and long range control of gene expression; use systems approaches that incorporate multiple types of -omics data; and detect locus heterogeneity.</p> <p><strong>Brain Mechanisms:</strong> Studies of brain mechanisms underlying the development, regulation, and modulation of behaviors characterizing ASD, particularly those mechanisms involving social communication and sensory processing; studies of brain mechanisms involved in the development of abnormal electroencephalograms and epilepsy, and studies to clarify the subtypes of seizures and seizure disorders in ASD; studies using model systems to examine brain mechanisms related to ASD; and studies using novel reagents and tools to identify molecular, cellular, or developmental mechanisms relevant to ASD.</p> <p><strong>Shared Neurobiology of ASD with Fragile X Syndrome, and Other Related Disorders:</strong> Studies of developmental and functional processes, pathways, and brain mechanisms that will lead to an understanding of shared etiology or pathophysiology among these disorders; analysis of autism-related neurobiological and behavioral phenotypes in related monogenic disorders; and analyses that would identify useful and specific clinical endpoints that would register measurable improvements in response to treatment interventions in clinical populations.</p> <p><strong>Cognitive Science:</strong> Developmental studies of relevant behaviors during infancy including attention to social and nonsocial stimuli, affective behavior, gaze, imitation, reciprocity and play, and their emergence in infants with, or at-risk for, ASD; research on social behavior and social cognition across the life-span; studies leading to more sophisticated measures of higher cognitive functioning, especially in social communication; and studies of sensorimotor factors and multisensory integration.</p> <p><strong>Communication Skills:</strong> Longitudinal developmental studies of behaviors that are precursors to later communication, and their emergence in children with ASD; research on sensory, motor, and social-cognitive impairments that impact interaction and communication; and studies of predictors of atypical onset patterns in expressive language abilities.</p> <p><strong>Services Research:</strong> Research on the organization, delivery, coordination, implementation, and financing of services for persons with ASD and their families, within or across service settings; studies aimed at better identifying and addressing changes in service and rehabilitative needs across the life-span, including during transitions from childhood to adolescence, and adolescence to adulthood; studies of ways to coordinate, implement or integrate services across settings including specialty mental health, general health, and other settings such as educational, vocational, and housing services, in order to maximize receipt of appropriate services; and research on assessing the value and improving the efficiency of the delivery, scale-up and sustainability of needed services.</p>