1
|
Bardhan S, Li H, Tarver E, Schramm C, Brown M, Garcia L, Schwartz B, Mazzucco A, Natarajan N, Walsh E, Ryan L, Pearson G, Parisi MA. The National Institutes of Health INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE) Project: Accelerating research discoveries for people with Down syndrome across the lifespan. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS. PART C, SEMINARS IN MEDICAL GENETICS 2024; 196:e32081. [PMID: 38197535 PMCID: PMC10939900 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.32081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a long-standing history of support for research in Down syndrome (DS). In response to a 2018 congressional directive for a trans-NIH initiative to address medical issues in DS, NIH launched the INCLUDE Project (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE). Reflecting the three INCLUDE components of basic science research, cohort development, and clinical trials, the Project has published funding opportunities to address conditions such as immune disorders and Alzheimer's disease. Due to a steady expansion in dedicated funding over its first 5 years, INCLUDE has invested $258 M in over 250 new research projects. INCLUDE also supports training initiatives to expand the number and diversity of investigators studying DS. NIH has funded an INCLUDE Data Coordinating Center that is collecting de-identified clinical information and multi-omics data from research participants for broad data sharing and secondary analyses. Through the DS-Connect® registry, INCLUDE investigators can access recruitment support. The INCLUDE Research Plan articulates research goals for the program, with an emphasis on diversity of research participants and investigators. Finally, a new Cohort Development Program is poised to increase the impact of the INCLUDE Project by recruiting a large DS cohort across the lifespan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sujata Bardhan
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Huiqing Li
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Erika Tarver
- National Institute on Aging (NIA), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Charlene Schramm
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Marishka Brown
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Linda Garcia
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Bryanna Schwartz
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anna Mazzucco
- Office of the Director, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Walsh
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Laurie Ryan
- National Institute on Aging (NIA), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gail Pearson
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Melissa A Parisi
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Hamadelseed O, Skutella T. Correlating MRI-based brain volumetry and cognitive assessment in people with Down syndrome. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e3186. [PMID: 37496380 PMCID: PMC10570489 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Down syndrome (DS) is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. Children and adults with DS show deficits in language performance and explicit memory. Here, we used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on children and adults with DS to characterize changes in the volume of specific brain structures involved in memory and language and their relationship to features of cognitive-behavioral phenotypes. METHODS Thirteen children and adults with the DS phenotype and 12 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (age range 4-25) underwent an assessment by MRI and a psychological evaluation for language and cognitive abilities. RESULTS The cognitive profile of people with DS showed deficits in different cognition and language domains correlating with reduced volumes of specific regional and subregional brain structures, confirming previous related studies. Interestingly, in our study, people with DS also showed more significant parahippocampal gyrus volumes, in agreement with the results found in earlier reports. CONCLUSIONS The memory functions and language skills affected in studied individuals with DS correlate significantly with the reduced volume of specific brain regions, allowing us to understand DS's cognitive-behavioral phenotype. Our results provide an essential basis for early intervention and the design of rehabilitation management protocols.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Osama Hamadelseed
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell BiologyUniversity of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
| | - Thomas Skutella
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy and Cell BiologyUniversity of HeidelbergHeidelbergGermany
| |
Collapse
|