NIH Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Portfolio

It’s April 1st and the start of “Autism Awareness Month”: There’ll be plenty in the news about autism and also appeals to support research—and what kind of research, in particular?

Last year (FY 2007), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) devoted $127 million to research autism spectrum disorders through “grants, contracts, research projects conducted as part of the NIH Intramural Research Program, and other mechanisms of support.” In addition, NIH invested $3.9 million in the development of the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR). In FY 2006, $108 million was devoted to research on ASD’s.

By way of comparison, in FY 2007, $107 million was devoted by the NIH to research on ADHD; $16 million was devoted to research on Cerebral Palsy; $16 million was devoted to research on Down Syndrome; $105 million to epilepsy.

You can go here to see the NIH Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Portfolio:

• FY 2007 NIH ASD Research Portfolio – Summary by Research Area (PDF file, 2 pages)
• FY 2007 NIH ASD Research Portfolio – Detailed Listing of Research Activities (PDF file, 10 pages)

The NIH-funded ASD research activities are categorized into five broad research areas, with each area further divided into subcategories:

• Research Area: Biology
  Subcategories: Clinical Neuroscience, Basic Neuroscience, and Biological Systems
• Research Area: Treatment
  Subcategories: Psychopharmacology, Biomedical, Behavioral/Psychosocial, Services Research, and Biomarkers for Treatment Response
• Research Area: Diagnosis
  Subcategories: Instrument Development, Early Identification, Characterization, Incidence/Prevalence
• Research Area: Risk Factors
  Subcategories: Genetics/Genomics, Environmental Influences and Gene x Environment Interplay, Mechanisms and Model Systems of Environmental Influences, and Psychosocial
• Research Area: Other
  Subcategories: Research Resources (e.g., data systems, repositories of biomaterials), Education and Dissemination, and Other

Here’s how much funding was devoted to each category:

• Biology ($36,467,625 ): 29%
• Treatment ($18,179,004): 14%
• Diagnosis ($20,870,709): 16%
• Risk Factors ($28,343,842): 22%
• Other ($22,982,555 ): 18%

Genetics/Genomics received $20,670,059 in funding; many other research areas also received significant funds. Clinical Neuroscience received $22,407,705; Behavioral/Psychosocial research received $10,275,206; Environmental Influences and Gene X Environment Interplay received $6,672,090; Education and Dissemination received $4,149,842.

The full list of studies is worth a careful review: Studies funded included one on fathers as in-home trainers of autistic children by Jennifer Elder of the University of Florida; on mercury-induced immune dysfunction on autism spectrum disorders by Ellen Silbergeld of Johns Hopkins University; and on interdisciplinary training for autism researchers by Sally Rogers of the University of California-Davis.