The National Institutes of Health has designated people with disabilities as a population with health disparities for NIH-supported research.
News
NICHD issues News Releases and Media Advisories to the news media. Spotlight and Research Feature articles explain NICHD research findings and public health issues to the general public. An Item of Interest is a short announcement of relevant information, such as a notable staff change.
Director's Corner: Fostering Inclusion in Down Syndrome Research
The theme for this year’s World Down Syndrome Day—With us, not for us—reflects a major goal of NIH’s INCLUDE project, which NICHD co-leads. INCLUDE aims to increase the participation of people with Down syndrome and their families in clinical research to expand our knowledge about the condition and its links to other health issues, with the ultimate goal of improving the health and quality of life of affected individuals.
Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2022
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2022.
Release: Alzheimer’s progression in Down syndrome appears similar to other genetic, early onset forms of the disease
Amyloid plaques—protein clumps that are one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease—occur at roughly the same level in the brains of people with Down syndrome who have Alzheimer’s as they do in people with forms of hereditary, early-onset Alzheimer’s, according to research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Based on the largest study of its kind to date, the findings suggest that individuals with Alzheimer’s and Down syndrome may benefit from participating in studies on Alzheimer’s therapies aimed at slowing formation of amyloid plaques.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded researchers develop same-day test to detect abnormal fetal chromosomes
Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a same-day test to identify abnormal fetal chromosomes.
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2021
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2021.
Director's Corner: We STRIVE to Do Better
Dr. Bianchi reflects on the life and contributions of Eunice Kennedy Shriver ahead of Mrs. Shriver’s 100th birthday and how improving equity, diversity, and inclusion at NICHD continues Mrs. Shriver’s work.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded researchers develop language test for people with Down syndrome
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a test to evaluate the expressive language skills of people with Down syndrome, a condition resulting from an extra copy or piece of chromosome 21. Expressive language is the use of words to convey meaning to others. Language delays are common in people with Down syndrome, and the study authors believe their test provides a more effective way to evaluate prospective language interventions, compared to current evaluation methods.
Director's Corner: Reflecting on our Science Advances in 2020
2020 was a year filled with many challenges. NICHD remained focused on our core mission, advancing key research in women’s health, reproductive science, rare childhood diseases and many more. Watch the video below and review our research highlights of 2020.
Spotlight: Selected NICHD Research Advances of 2020
Read about NICHD’s research findings and activities from 2020.
Director's Corner: Celebrating 30 Years of Medical Rehabilitation Research
Our National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research has advanced the field with significant achievements over the past 30 years that have improved the health, independence and quality of life of people with disabilities.
Media Advisory: Plant compound reduces cognitive deficits in mouse model of Down syndrome
The plant compound apigenin improved the cognitive and memory deficits usually seen in a mouse model of Down syndrome, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions. Apigenin is found in chamomile flowers, parsley, celery, peppermint and citrus fruits. The findings raise the possibility that a treatment to lessen the cognitive deficits seen in Down syndrome could one day be offered to pregnant women whose fetuses have been diagnosed with Down syndrome through prenatal testing.
Director's Corner: It’s a Family Matter: The NIH INCLUDE Project
The pandemic reinforces why the NIH INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE) Project matters to families and communities.
Director's Corner: Push to IMPROVE health outcomes for pregnant women
NIH has launched a new initiative that will combat the growing problem of maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States.
Media Advisory: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities disproportionately affected by COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), write the directors of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers (IDDRC) Network, a nationwide group funded by NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. A large number of people with IDD who require in-person care have lost the support of trained caregivers and community service providers due to the pandemic.
Item of Interest: NICHD Selects Six Infrastructure Centers to Promote Rehabilitation Research
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recently selected six centers for its Medical Rehabilitation Research Resource Network.
Women in Science: Diana Bianchi and the Value of Connections
Read about the career and achievements of NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi.
Media Advisory: NIH-funded effort may help people with intellectual disability participate in clinical studies
The NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery—an assessment of cognitive functioning for adults and children participating in neuroscience research—can be adapted to people with intellectual disabilities by modifying some test components and making accommodations for the test-takers’ disabilities, according to researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health. The adaptations ensure that the battery can be used to assess the cognitive ability of people with intellectual disabilities who have a mental age of 5 years and above, providing objective measures that could be used in a wide variety of studies.
Director's Corner: Reflecting on 2019
NICHD Director Dr. Diana Bianchi looks back at 2019 and NICHD’s many amazing accomplishments.
Media Advisory: High rates of dementia, Alzheimer’s observed among older people with Down syndrome
A study of Wisconsin Medicaid enrollees with Down syndrome has found that more than half of those ages 55 and older have filed at least three claims for dementia and nearly a third have filed at least three claims for Alzheimer’s disease. The analysis was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.