NIH initiative

[Keith E. Nelson]

Dennis,  Thanks for noted.  I have indicated two ADDED pieces within the
framework below.
                        Best regards,   Keith


At 11:49 AM 8/18/99, Dennis L. Molfese wrote:
>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;
        ADDED   6) Social/cognitive/linguistic/emotional interaction
patterns within the family
                                at a detailed level in relation to
individual differences in particular
                                domains of learning--language, space, art,
social, eml skills of children.
                                Part of this effort should be to understand
how particular social
                                and emotional embeddings of "input" within
a domain influence the
                                child's uptake of domain input and
motivation/preferences for the domain.
>    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;
        ADDED    c) effects of behavior intervention grounded in dynamic
sytems theories,
                                with attention to effects of controlled
rich interventions that combine
                                presumed enhancements of social-emotional
child-adult processes
                                together with presumed facilitators of
rapid learning within specified
                                domains (music, language, art, space,
social skills, dance etc.),
                                at varied developmental periods between 6
months and 6 years.
>
>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