Large Children's Health Study Cites Autism as One of Key Target Areas

The National Institutes of Health today announced federal funding for 22 research centers which will collect data and recruit families to participate in a study designed to examine the effects of environmental and genetic factors on children's health. Researchers will be looking to understand how these factors relate to children developing autism, birth defects, heart disease and obesity.

The announcement's citing autism as a key national health issue would appear to reflect the mainstream concern that autism spectrum disorders have become in government research circles.

The National Children's Study will follow a sample of 100,000 children from across the United States from birth to age 21. The study will be "seeking information to prevent and treat some of the nation's most pressing health problems, including autism, birth defects, heart disease and obesity," the NIH said in a statement.

The goal is to create a sample of children that reflects the makeup of the nation's population. A key aspect of the project, based on the statement released today, is to bring staff on board who can recruit people in communities around the country to participate in a government study. Yvonne Maddox, deputy director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in today's statement: "Building trusting relationships with community leaders will be critical to the success of the study's recruitment efforts," and noted that researchers will work to build relationships with local community groups and health care providers, to explain the potential benefits of the study.

"The National Children's Study is poised to identify the early antecedents of a broad array of diseases that affect both children and adults. Such insights will lead to the means to successfully treat and even prevent conditions that to date have defied our best efforts," Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, the NIH director, said in a statement.

Congress set aside $69 million for the project this year. The research study is adding 22 new study centers to an existing base of seven research centers set up in 2005. In addition, the NIH unveiled a list of 105 study locations in 2004.

The 22 locations announced include:

1. Providence County, Rhode Island: Brown University with National Opinion Research Center and Women and Infants Hospital .
2. Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania and New Castle County, Delaware: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with Drexel University, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, Schuylkill County Commissioners, Pottsville Hospital/Warne Clinic, University of Delaware Christiana Care, and A.I. DuPont Institute Hospital for Children.
3. DeKalb County, Georgia and Fayette County, Georgia: Emory University with Morehouse School of Medicine and Battelle Memorial Institute.
4. Baltimore County, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University with Drexel University, Battelle Memorial Institute, and Children’s National Medical Center.
5. Wayne County, Michigan: Michigan State University with Henry Ford Health System, University of Michigan, Wayne State University, and Michigan Department of Community Health.
6. Nassau County, New York: Mount Sinai School of Medicine with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and School of Public Health, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, and Battelle Memorial Institute.
7. Cook County, Illinois: Northwestern University with University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, National Opinion Research Center, and Children’s Memorial Hospital.
8. Macoupin County, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis University with Southern Illinois University (Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, and Nursing), Washington University School of Medicine, and local office of Battelle Memorial Institute.
9. Sacramento County, California: University of California, Davis with Sacramento Department of Health and Human Services and Battelle Memorial Institute.
10. San Diego County, California: University of California, Irvine with San Diego State University; University of California, San Diego; California State University, San Bernardino; Loma Linda University, and California State University, Bakersfield.
11. Honolulu County, Hawaii: University of Hawai'i at Manoa with Kaiser Permanente; Johns Hopkins University; and University of California, Irvine.
12. Worcester County, Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts with Clark University, National Opinion Research Center, and Harvard University.
13. Ramsey County, Minnesota: University of Minnesota with National Opinion Research Center, Health Partners Research Foundation, and St. Paul-Ramsey County Department of Health.
14. Hinds County, Mississippi: University of Mississippi with Tougaloo College, Jackson State University, Mississippi Department of Health, and Community Outreach for Health Awareness.
15. Valencia County, New Mexico: University of New Mexico.
16. Rockingham County, North Carolina: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Duke University, Battelle Memorial Institute, and McMillan and Moss Research.
17. Marion County, West Virginia and Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania: University of Pittsburgh with National Opinion Research Center, Pennsylvania State University, and University of West Virginia.
18. Bexar County, Texas: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
19. Cache County, Utah: University of Utah with Utah State University.
20. Los Angeles County, California: University of California, Los Angeles with RTI International; Cedars Sinai Medical Center; and University of Southern California.
21. King County, Washington: University of Washington with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle/King County Public Health Department.
22. New Haven County, Connecticut: Yale University.

Also see:

Study of Social and Environmental Factors in Autism Subject of High-Profile NIH Grant

Federal Research Grants Show Intensified Effort to Find Autism Clues, Treatments, NIH Says

Study of Social, Environmental Factors in Autism Subject of High-Profile NIH Grant

Among the series of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants made to 41 "exceptionally innovative" scientists this week was one to Peter Bearman, a Columbia University sociologist known for his research into social network dynamics who plans to study the role of social and environmental factors in autism.

Bearman is a recipient of a five-year, $2.5 million Pioneer Award from the NIH announced Sept. 18. You can read a press release on all the award recipients here.

Bearman's past research is a fascinating, diverse collection of subjects that, on the surface, appear to have little to do with autism and more to do with adolescent sexual health, Italian politics and how people win elite jobs. Take this passage from his bio provided by the NIH (see the website here):

Peter Bearman, Ph.D., is the Jonathan Cole Professor of Social Science at Columbia University. He also directs the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy and co-directs the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars Program at the university. Bearman received a Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University in 1985. His work centers on understanding how social network dynamics shape diverse adolescent health outcomes. Bearman co-designed the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and has studied the structure of sexual networks and the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, peer influence and sexual behavior, friendship structure and suicidality, and the determinants of school achievement. His work on sexual networks has been featured in popular magazines, including Time, Harper’s, and Discover.

Bearman's faculty profile at Columbia also notes:

His current research in historical sociology focuses on developing models to case historical event sequences; temporality in historical accounts; recruitment to elite positions, and the structure of global trade networks, 1600-1831. In the area of social networks, his current work focuses on the structure of Italian politics (1986-2002).

So why is this social scientist with wide-ranging interests going to focus on autism? A recent article in The New York Times explains that Bearman and his research colleagues want to delve into the rising tide of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses, and how social networks factor into that rise. Here's an excerpt from the August 5 "Week in Review" article "You, Your Friends, Your Friends of Friends" (the article delved into why researchers were finding that obesity appeared to be contagious):

Now Dr. Bearman and his colleagues are studying autism. The number of autistic children has increased rapidly in recent years, but it is not clear how much resulted from increased diagnosis and how much from an increase in the actual disease.

Dr. Bearman is studying how diagnoses of autism spread. When a child is diagnosed, friends of that child's parents may wonder whether their child has autism as well, and have their child evaluated. Demand for autism evaluations would increase, and doctors and schools would become more sensitive to the disorder and more likely to suspect it. Schools would then provide services for the autistic children in the community, attracting families from other areas where autism was less common and where schools were not as prepared to help.

"There is an enormously important dynamic that draws people into a diagnostic maelstrom," Dr. Bearman says. "Autism is real, but the epidemic very likely has a very important social network component."

No doubt that social network component involves us, parents and families of people diagnosed with autism. It will be interesting to follow what Bearman comes to understand.

Also see:

Anthropologist Casts Light on Autism Views Around the World

California Researchers Find Potential Correlation Between Pesticides and Autism

The California Department of Public Health released a study July 30 that officials said "suggests a possible connection between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and maternal exposure to pesticides."

The study, published in the online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives, found that among 29 mothers who lived near agricultural fields where "the highest level of organochlorine pesticides were applied during their first trimester of pregnancy," eight of the children born received diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder. While the sample study is small, and it was unclear how much pesticide exposure these pregnant women received during this period, the state researchers said it warranted more study because the rate of autism prevalence was six times higher than that found in a control group of pregnant women.

"This study is initial research into possible environmental factors in California that may contribute to autism," said Dr. Mark Horton, director of the state's department of public health. "It's important to understand that these preliminary findings do not establish a causal relationship between exposure to these pesticides and autism."

You can find a free copy of the study here, via the Environmental Health Perspectives website. This journal is sponsored by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. A press release from the California Department of Public Health is available via its website.

The autism-environment link is a hot topic among medical and environmental researchers who are looking into potential causes of autism (other lines of inquiry include genetics, and some combination of both). Also see:

* Institute of Medicine to Discuss Investigating Autism-Environment Link

* Discover Magazine Reviews Investigation into Autism-Environment Link

* Studying Autism as a Whole Body Condition, with Environmental Factors

Institute of Medicine to Discuss Investigating Autism-Environment Link

The Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous Systems Disorders, a part of the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C., is hosting a workshop on April 18 and 19 to discuss research strategies for exploring the potential relationship between autism and the environment.

The two-day workshop is open to the public and comes at the request of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt, according to the Institute of Medicine website (see it here, where you can access both a "statement of task" and a workshop agenda). The workshop will focus on these three questions:

1. What are the most promising scientific opportunities for improving the understanding of potential environmental factors in autism?
2. What scientific tools and technologies are available, what interdisciplinary research approaches are needed, and what further infrastructure investments will be necessary in the short- and long-term to be able to explore potential relationships between autism and environmental factors?
3. What opportunities exist for public-private partnerships in the support and conduct of the research?

The agenda includes participants from government research bodies such as the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, as well as scientists and academics from institutions such as Vanderbilt University; the M.I.N.D. Institute from the University of California at Davis; Harvard Medical School; Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Columbia University; University of Arizona; the J. Craig Venter Institute for genomics research; Baylor College of Medicine; University of Rochester Medical Center. That's on the first day.

Autism advocates are also on the agenda, including Laura Bono, a board member of the National Autism Association and Sallie Bernard, the co-founder of SafeMinds, or Sensible Action for Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders, who is a board member at Autism Speaks.

This is interesting because both SafeMinds and the National Autism Association have criticized past statements by the Institute of Medicine that concluded there was no causal link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism. You can view conclusions of a 2004 Institute of Medicine report here. SafeMinds has a list of press releases here that criticizes that finding and the authors of it, alleging conflicts of interest.

On its website (see here), the National Autism Association notes that this Institute of Medicine workshop, to be held right before a Defeat Autism Now (DAN) conference, formed with its leaders' participation. Here's what the group has to say:

Unlike the 2004 IOM Committee, the workshop group will not address causation or issue any formal recommendations. Also, it will not discuss the efficacy of any treatments. Rather, there will be presentations and discussions on strategies for research focusing on the potential relationship between autism and an array of environmental exposures.

A publicly available summary of the presentations and discussions made during the workshop will be prepared by a rapporteur and will reflect what transpired at the workshop. It will be published by the National Academies Press in the early Fall of 2007.

Laura Bono of the National Autism Association and Mark Blaxill of SafeMinds were two of three advocates invited to serve on the workshop planning committee. They were tasked with helping to develop the meeting agenda and presenters.

Laura and Mark made it their primary objective to direct the workshop toward the most relevant research areas to our community that have historically been overlooked by federal health agencies. In addition, Laura has been asked to give a statement at the workshop on the Perspectives of the Advocacy Community.

Discover Magazine Reviews Investigations into Autism-Environment Link

Discover Magazine's April issue has an interesting story that reviews the recent work of medical researchers -- people like Martha Herbert, a child neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard and Craig Newschaffer, an epidemiologist at Drexel University School of Public Health -- who are investigating a genetic predisposition to autism and potential environmental triggers for autism spectrum disorders.

You can find the article, "Autism: It's Not Just in the Head," at Discover's website by clicking here.

Dr. Herbert gave a lecture about her research, which you can read about in "Studying Autism as a Whole Body Condition," by clicking here; there is some overlap to the issues covered in Discover's article.

What's exciting is that these accomplished researchers are very enthusiastic about the possibilities of their scientific inquiries, and that they could result in some medical treatments that make a difference in the lives of people with autism by changes in diet and other conditions. The Discover article specifically refers to the regimens advocated by the Defeat Autism Now doctors, for example, as mitigating some children's autistic symptoms over time.

What's also tough to convey, in my opinion, even in a well-documented story such as this magazine piece, is the complex, wide-ranging nature of autism spectrum disorders. It's interesting to note that a number of researchers are starting to refer to autism in the plural, as autisms, and that medical investigators who make progress on one of these autisms may not make progress on all of them. (See this article for an example of that idea.)

Or, as the researchers tell Discover:

Herbert’s full-body perspective helps make sense of the confusion surrounding the diagnosis of autism and helps justify the increasingly common use of the plural “autisms” to describe the wide variations in this disorder. As Newschaffer points out, “Children with Asperger's syndrome certainly share a lot of the behaviors of those with more severe autism. But is it the same disease, and is it caused by the same thing? A number of significant features of autism are not part of the diagnostic schema right now, but eventually, those features may end up distinguishing one causal pathway from another. How is a child sleeping? Does he or she have gastrointestinal symptoms? By looking at those things we may see risk-factor associations pop out that we’ve never seen before.”

One last note. In 2006, Autism Bulletin featured Herbert as one of our picks for advocates of the year. See that story here.