Biobehavioral strategic planning

[Dennis Molfese]

Hello all:

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has
formed a planning group to develop an overall plan of developmental
research related initiatives for NICHD to emphasize and fund during
the next decade. I would appreciate your suggestions regarding the
following scientific goals for NICHD sponsored research activity.
These may have a direct impact on future funding priorities so some
justification for your recommendations would be very helpful. These
goals are a subset of the more complete list that can found at
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/strategicplan/cells/

Your comments would be appreciated on the following:

I. SCIENTIFIC GOALS
Although the following strategic research areas are diverse and
wide-ranging, they all require an integrated,
multidisciplinary approach. These areas were identified on the basis
of our most recent breakthroughs in
developmental research, and represent areas where gaps in our current
understanding of development still exist, as
well as where the integration of biological with behavioral science
can best be applied to the developmental problems
faced by children in our society today.

A. Biobehavioral Bases of Developmental Continuities and
Discontinuities: From Birth Through
Parenthood
An emphasis on development is an important approach to biobehavioral
research, which is unique to NICHD
research. For our purposes, it is critical to apply biobehavioral
research paradigms to questions that are relevant
to specific developmental periods, developmental transitions across
periods, or commonly experienced
developmental episodes. Much more needs to be learned about the
biobehavioral bases of development, and the
continuities and discontinuities that occur as children mature from
birth until they themselves reach parenthood.
The behaviors of interest include cognition, perception, attention,
memory, speech, language, emotional and social
developmental behaviors, as well as the ability to regulate behaviors
(e.g., behavioral inhibition, sleep regulation,
and feeding). The processes here are also bidirectional-biobehavioral
studies should be able to address not
only how behavioral/environmental processes influence biological
development but also how biological factors
influence behavioral/environmental interactions. Many of the emphasis
areas below target areas where critical
knowledge gaps exist.
* Influences of Sex/Gender Throughout the Developmental Process:
There are few studies on why
differences exist between males and females in the occurrence of
behaviors and related diseases. To better
understand this aspect of human development, it is important to
clarify the interaction of biological factors with
environmental, social, and cultural influences and to examine how
these mechanisms lead to differential
outcomes between the sexes.
* Fetal Behavior: We know little as to what fetal and early postnatal
behaviors, and their interactions with
biological and environmental factors, tell us about the developing
fetus or neonate and how such behavior is
related to physical and neurological status and perinatal outcome.
* Understanding and Facilitating Learning in Typically Developing
Populations: Much more science-based
evidence needs to be gathered to help us understand how best to aid
the learning process for all children
across a variety of domains (e.g., reading, mathematics, reasoning,
and critical thinking). This research
requires a truly integrated, biobehavioral approach. Such research
needs to relate our understanding of
neuroanatomical development, developing brain processes,
neurochemical and neuroendocrine effects with
learning behaviors and environmental influences (e.g., curriculum,
mode of presentation of content, home environment influences, peer
influences). Particular attention needs to be paid to disparities in
learning acquisition and outcomes as functions of biological as well
as environmental factors.

B. Therapeutic Interventions for Developmental Disabilities and
Related Conditions (Including Mental Retardation and Other Atypical
Development)
This emphasis area refers to exploiting basic scientific advances to
further the development of innovative therapies
(including new pharmaceuticals), as well as to refine and enhance the
use of interventions, based on the effective
dissemination of these advances, for specific developmental problems.
Studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms
and processes concerning a specific disease, or disability and
efficacy of related therapeutics. This would include
pharmacological, educational, and psychological mechanisms and
interventions. Researchers also must examine why
some interventions are effective for one individual and not for
another. Such efficacy assessments should include
measures relevant to independent and adaptive functioning. Long-term
followup studies also are needed to better
understand the impact of, or outcomes associated with, the use of
specific interventions over time. Both animal
models and human applications are pertinent. Some specific examples
of areas to target include:
* Clinical Trials of Existing Pharmacotherapies in Specific
Disabilities or Disease Groups in
Children: There is a paucity of research addressing the efficacy,
long-term side effects, and outcomes of a
wide range of commonly used pharmacological agents in children. Such
research requires both cross-sectional
and longitudinal approaches. This emphasis area is particularly
relevant for children with multiple
disorders, dual-diagnosis disabilities, or mental retardation and for
guiding practitioners to use more effective
pharmacological interventions for children with developmental disabilities.
* Innovation and Translations of Interventions for Specific Learning
and Other Developmental
Disabilities: A pressing need exists to develop effective
interventions for children with developmental
disabilities involving learning deficits or behavior deficits (e.g.,
stereotyped, aggressive, self-injurious
behaviors) that interfere with optimal development. This would
include developing both new pharmaceuticals
and other biological or behavioral strategies based on emerging
scientific advances. This intervention research
will require identifying and clarifying the neurobiological,
behavioral, and environmental mechanisms and
processes underlying efficacy. Therapeutic research also needs to
address the optimal timing of intervention
throughout development. In addition, a great need exists to develop
innovative interventions that address
deficits in reading, mathematics, written communication skills,
language usage, communication strategies, and
learning ability or retention. The development of intervention
strategies and devices should be emphasized for
both typical and atypical developmental populations.

* Interaction of Neurotoxic or Infectious Agents With Development:
Prenatal and perinatal exposure to
infectious agents and toxins has been linked to pathogenesis of
developmental disabilities and neuropsychiatric
disorders. Researchers need to learn more about the possible
connections and identify the mechanisms by
which such outcomes may occur, how such effects can be treated, and
any related long-term outcomes.



I need your input by Friday. These topics and rationales will form
the basis for a series of discussions at NIH involving panel members
over the next 2 weeks.

Thanks,

Dennis Molfese
dmolfese at louisville.edu






Dennis L. Molfese, Ph.D.
Distinguished University Scholar
Editor-in-Chief: Developmental Neuropsychology
Chair and Professor
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
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