Unraveling Autism - Autism Research

Written by NIMH

Increasingly, the public as well as health care professionals are recognizing these disorders as real and treatable medical illnesses of the brain. Still, more research is needed to examine in greater depth the relationships among genetic, behavioral, developmental, social and other factors to find the causes of these illnesses. NIMH is meeting this need through a series of research initiatives.

• NIMH Human Genetics Initiative
  This project has compiled the world's largest registry of families affected by schizo-phrenia, manic-depressive illness, and Alzheimer's disease. Scientists are able to examine the genetic material of these family members with the aim of pinpointing genes involved in the diseases.
• Human Brain Project
  This multi-agency effort is using state-of- the-art computer science technologies to organize the immense amount of data being generated through neuroscience and related disciplines, and to make this information readily accessible for simultaneous study by interested researchers.

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• Prevention Research Initiative
  Prevention efforts seek to understand the development and expression of mental illness throughout life so that appropriate interventions can be found and applied at multiple points during the course of illness. Recent advances in biomedical, behavioral, and cognitive sciences have led NIMH to formulate a new plan that marries these sciences to prevention efforts.

While the definition of prevention will broaden, the aims of research will become more precise and targeted.

More Than 2,000 Grants and Contracts

In total, NIMH supports more than 2,000 research grants and contracts at universities and other institutions across the nation and overseas. It also conducts basic research and clinical studies involving 9,000 patient visits per year at its own facilities on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, MD, and elsewhere. NIMH research projects focus on:

• basic research on behavior, emotion, and cognition to provide a knowledge base for a better understanding of mental illnesses

• basic sciences, including cellular and molecular biology, developmental neuro-biology, neurochemistry, neurogenetics, and neuropharmacology, to provide essential information about the anatomical and chemical basis of brain function and brain disorders

• neuroscience and behavioral aspects of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and behavioral strategies to reduce the spread of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

• interventions to treat, prevent, and reduce the frequency of mental disorders and their disabling consequences

• mental health services research, including mental health economics and improved methods of services delivery
• co-morbidity among mental disorders and with substance abuse and other medical conditions, such as depression and heart disease
• the prevalence of mental disorders
• risk factors for mental disorders
• differences in mental health and mental illness among special populations
• children and adolescents who suffer from or who are at risk for serious mental disorders and learning disabilities
• psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies for specific disorders

As the 21st century nears, NIMH stands poised to surmount the burden, loss, and tragedy of mental illnesses that afflict millions of Americans.

next: Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders)