Read a selection of past Spotlights featuring the stories of kids and adults whose lives have been enhanced by NICHD-supported research through new treatments, improved patient engagement, and new prevention and intervention campaigns.
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.
Resources to Help Families and Physicians Spot Early Signs of Autism
For people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), early detection and early intervention can help a great deal in improving outcomes. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that health care providers screen for ASD at the 18-month and 24-month visits. Meanwhile, researchers are working to develop screening tools that can detect the disorder even earlier.
NICHD researchers identify cause of rare disease, Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome
Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, a rare genetic disease that disrupts the nervous system and can lead to microcephaly and other brain defects, appears to result from a buildup of a cholesterol precursor, according to a new study by NICHD researchers.
NIH researchers uncover how neurons die in Niemann-Pick disease type C1
The loss of neurons that is a hallmark of Niemann-Pick disease type C1 (NPC1) appears to result from a cell death process called necroptosis, according to a new study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
How a Mom, a Scientist, and NICHD Joined to Fight a Rare Disease
Rett syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects girls almost exclusively. Like Alyssa, most girls with Rett syndrome seem to develop typically for the first 6 months to 18 months, but then lose skills such as speaking, crawling or walking, and using their hands. Eventually, most need help with every activity of daily life. Estimates suggest that Rett syndrome occurs in one out of every 10,000 to 15,000 girls born in the United States.
NIH supports new studies to find Alzheimer’s biomarkers in Down syndrome
The National Institutes of Health has launched a new initiative to identify biomarkers and track the progression of Alzheimer’s in people with Down syndrome.
It’s All About Potential: Down Syndrome Athlete and Advocate Highlights Ability Where Others See Disability
As a person with Down syndrome, David Egan has made it his mission to fulfill his own potential and to help other people with Down syndrome fulfill theirs. Here he discusses his work, his belief in the power of research, and his hopes for the future.
Down Syndrome Research Across the Lifespan: A Q&A with NICHD Experts
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, an opportunity to spread awareness and enhance understanding of Down syndrome, a congenital disorder in people who have an extra 21st chromosome.
Q&A with NICHD Acting Director Catherine Spong, M.D.
Dr. Cathy Spong became NICHD’s acting director on October 1, 2015. Here she shares her plans for the year and her thoughts on what makes NICHD so unique.
Breath of Life: NICHD Research Provides Hope for Infants with Oxygen Deprivation
Ten years ago, NICHD research established the standard therapy for infants born with oxygen deprivation. Today, NICHD research continues to find answers and provide hope for children and families.
Studying the Growing Brain: A Q&A on the C-MIND Study
The Cincinnati MR Imaging of Neurodevelopment (C-MIND) study was launched in 2009 to establish a new resource for the research community: a database of scans showing the structure and activity of the growing brain. C-MIND has taken an unprecedented look at what’s going on inside the heads of hundreds of kids from ages 0 to 18.
Neuroscience Research Resources
NICHD supports a variety of research projects and networks that are useful to neuroscientists. Find a detailed list here.
NIH funded scientists identify key intermediary between protein synthesis, circadian rhythms
Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how a major pathway that initiates protein synthesis does so by using an enzyme as a go-between to activate the body’s internal clock.
Animals’ presence may ease social anxiety in kids with autism
When animals are present, children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have lower readings on a device that detects anxiety and other forms of social arousal when interacting with their peers.
NIH launches tool to advance Down syndrome research
The National Institutes of Health has launched a subsite of DS-Connect: The Down Syndrome Registry for researchers, clinicians, and other professionals with a scientific interest in Down syndrome to access de-identified data from the registry.
NIH teams with industry to develop treatments for Niemann-Pick Type C disease
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have entered into an agreement with biotechnology company Vtesse, Inc., of Gaithersburg, Maryland, to develop treatments for Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) and other lysosomal storage disorders.
NIH Updates Down Syndrome Research Plan
The NIH recently released Down Syndrome Directions: The National Institutes of Health Research Plan on Down Syndrome, an updated strategy to advance research related to Down syndrome.
NICHD and HSC Foundation Event on Military-Connected Children with Special Needs
For 2 days in April 2014, military families, researchers, educational and health care service providers, and other stakeholders came together on the NIH campus to talk about military families. They were participants in a conference on Military-Connected Children with Special Health Care Needs and Their Families.
NICHD Co-Sponsors White House Disability Summit
More than 50 million Americans, about 1 in 5 people, are living with a disability. People with disabilities tend to be less physically active than people without disabilities and have higher rates of corresponding health problems such as obesity, heart disease, hypertension and stroke.
Inflammation in womb affects brain, behavior of baby mice
When researchers triggered an immune response in the wombs of pregnant mice, their offspring showed signs of brain damage that lasted well into adulthood. The animal’s hippocampus—that’s the part of the brain responsible for memory and spatial orientation—was smaller, and they had poor motor skills and behavioral issues, like hyperactivity.