NIH initiative

[Dennis L. Molfese]

I would appreciate your input ASAP.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has
formed a group to develop an overall plan of developmental research
related initiatives for NIH to emphasize and fund during the next
decade. I would appreciate your suggestions regarding general topics
and subtopics you view as potentially important areas of research
activity. These may have a direct impact on future funding priorities
so some justification for the areas you recommend would be very
helpful.

Discussions at NIHCHD have identified some topics and subtopics already:

1. Social and behavioral influences on cognition, learning, language,
and emotional development: Normal and abnormal;
    a. Elucidate social and biological interactions influencing normal
and abnormal development;
       1). family violence/abuse/neglect/psychosocial deprivation;
       2). poverty;
       3). peer and social support networks;
       4). bilingualism;
       5). ethnicity and multicultural influences;
    b. experimental and therapeutic interventions and effects on brain
and behavior;
       1). clinical trials of experimental drugs;
       2). psychopharmacology (developmental psychopharmacology);

2. Developmental Neuroplasticity;
    a. behavioral intervention (early, familial);
    b. imaging;

3. Neurobiologic, genetic, and environmental influences on
development and developmental disorders;
    a. endocrinology;
    b. immunology;
    c. environmental toxins;
    d. gene interactions;
    e. nutrition/ eating disorders;
    f. molecular and cellular mechanisms in normal and abnormal development;
    g. methodological techniques including imaging, animal models, and
human models;

4. Developing neurofunctional and neurobehavioral connections and pathways;
    a. neuroanatomical and neurobehavioral bases of cognition,
language, affect, attention, memory, learning, and motor skills;
    b. genetic bases of neuroanatomical and neurobehavioral development;
    c. neuroanatomical and neurobehavioral bases of attention and
learning deficits or disorders;

5. Neuronal and non-neural contributions to dendritic synaptic development;
    a. dendritic arborization;
    b. myelination, ion channels, neurotransmitters, apoptosis.

If you would like to elaborate on any of the above areas, or add
related or new topics, please let me know.


There is a rush for this. I need your input by Thursday at the latest
so I can prepare a statement to then send to NIH by Friday, August
20. These topics and rationales will form the basis for discussions
at NIH involving panel members over the next 2 weeks.

Please respond to my e-mail address at:
dmolfese at louisville.edu

Thanks,

Dennis Molfese







Dennis L. Molfese, Ph.D.
Chair and Professor
Distinguished University Scholar
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
University of Louisville
317 Life Sciences Building
Belknap Campus
Louisville, KY 40292-0001

502/852-6775 or 502/852-8274
FAX:  502-852-8904
dmolfese at louisville.edu
dlmolf01 at athena.louisville.edu