Participate in Research Studies

In recent years, experts have made remarkable strides in better understanding autism, including developing more effective methods of diagnosis in treatment. At Kennedy Krieger Institute, researchers are continuing to investigate this complex disorder—in the hopes of not only improving diagnoses and interventions, but also discovering autism’s causes and possible means of prevention. Current studies are underway by research scientists at Kennedy Krieger to examine autism from a wide variety of perspectives, from behavioral assessments to brain imaging to cell biology and other methods.

Dr. Rebecca Landa is conducting numerous large-scale research projects aimed at detecting the earliest signs of autism, discovering how children with autism learn differently from other children, and developing early interventions for autism. She is also collaborating with other researchers to better understand the causes of autism. Her research represents some of the most compelling work being done at the Institute involving dedicated observation of children with autism. One of the most intriguing parts of her research program involves studying the development of the younger siblings of children diagnosed with autism. In addition to helping researchers understand the earliest signs of this disorder, the sibling study has led to several children being diagnosed much earlier than they might have been otherwise, allowing their families to seek intervention as soon as possible.

Dr. Paul Law directs the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), an online research study, research registry, and online information resource that is transforming autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research not only at Kennedy Krieger, but at institutions worldwide. It consists of IAN Research and IAN Community. In IAN Research, families and affected individuals who live in the U.S. consent to participate in this long-term online study, agree to share the information that they contribute with qualified researchers, and are notified about other studies for which they qualify. At IAN Community, anybody concerned with ASD can learn about recent research results, the importance of research, and how research is done. They can also help set the research agenda. Since its public launch in 2007, the IAN Research study has consented nearly 33,000 individuals with ASD and their families. More than 262 research projects have applied for or are using IAN subject recruitment services. Data from the study has been distributed to 14 third-party research teams. IAN Community has received nearly 1.1 million visits.

Dr. Stewart Mostofsky utilizes cutting-edge behavioral and magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to explore the motor system of individuals with autism. This research offers an important window into understanding the brain basis of the disorder and to guiding effective treatments. Dr. Mostofsky’s research reveals that dysfunction in brain systems important to motor development may also contribute to impaired development of social skills, as well as social awareness. Studies of motor learning (Haswell et al., 2009) found that children with autism show anomalous patterns of motor learning, with decreased ability to rely on visual feedback to guide motor learning. The findings provide information critical to understanding the brain basis of autism and was highlighted in a U.S. Government summary of the twenty research articles that the IACC felt made the most significant contributions to autism biomedical and services research in 2009. His team is currently working on: 1) Further characterizing the motor deficits associated with autism, including differences in how children with autism learn motor skills. 2) Using neuroimaging (anatomic MRI and functional MRI) to understand the brain basis of those deficits, and 3) Examining novel approaches for improving motor learning in children with autism.

Dr. Elaine Tierney and colleagues are studying different metabolic disorders that can present with autism spectrum disorder through the Autism Metabolic Research Program and the Center for Genetic Disorders of Cognition and Behavior at Kennedy Krieger. In 2000 and 2001 they identified that Smith-Lemli-Opitz-Syndrome (SLOS) is associated with autism spectrum disorder. Since SLOS is known to be caused by a defect in the body's biosynthesis of cholesterol, SLOS may provide clues to the biochemistry of other autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Tierney and colleagues at Kennedy Krieger and the National Institutes of Health are also performing a double-blind placebo-controlled study of simvastatin in individuals with SLOS.

Dr. Tierney and colleagues published a paper in 2006, in the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B (Neuropsychiatric Genetics), in which they describe the finding that a small subgroup of children with autism spectrum disorders have abnormally low cholesterol levels. The children’s low cholesterol levels were apparently due to a limited ability to make cholesterol. This finding, in concert with their work with SLOS, has led them to believe that cholesterol may play a role in the cause of some cases of autism spectrum disorder.

Dr. Andrew Zimmerman recently published a paper in the Annals of Neurology detailing his team’s observation of inflammation, elevated protein levels and unusual cell activations in post-mortem brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid of people with autism. In time, work such as Dr. Zimmerman’s, which examines the biological elements of autism, could lead to the development of drug therapies designed to counteract these unusual conditions in the brain.

These studies represent just a few of the innovative research projects Kennedy Krieger scientists are devoting to autism spectrum disorders. Other areas of research focus on the impact of certain medications on children with autism’s ability to participate in home and school life. With support from public and private grants, these researchers can continue to expand their current studies and launch new initiatives dedicated to answering the questions surrounding this challenging disorder.

For a list of related research projects in this area please check under the individual faculty profiles listed below: