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IDDRC Groups
Molecular and Genetic Sciences Group
Group Coordinator: Su-Chun Zhang
Specific research
questions being addressed by MGS Group scientists focus on:
mechanisms of early molecular events in the generation of birth
defects, genetic factors that guide sensory development, the effects
of seizures on learning, the effects of environmental toxins on
nervous system development, mechanisms of neonatal jaundice, the
construction of animal models to study metabolic disorders, gene
therapy of developmental disorders, and the understanding of
childhood neurodegenerative disorders.
The recent rapid progress in molecular investigators to approach
questions that were previously unanswerable. This research advances
our understanding of normal brain development and suggests potential
therapeutic strategies for treating developmental disabilities.
Communication and Cognitive Sciences Group
Group Coordinator:
Jenny
Saffran, PhD
Scientific investigations in the CCS Group focus on the following
program areas: early communication in infants and toddlers; language
and speech development in young children; language and communication
processes in school-age children and adolescents; and speech
processes in adults. Here, as in other areas of the investigation of
development, a detailed knowledge of typical development must be
gained before one can hope to understand the mechanisms that are
involved in development that does not follow the typical course. To
gain such knowledge, scientists in the CCS Group have undertaken the
basic research necessary to establish developmentally sensitive
assessment protocols and methodologies; to quantify the typical
variation and its sources among individuals who develop typically
and those who develop atypically; and to identify and assess the
developmentally or disorder-sensitive characteristics of
communication and cognition in the wide variety of populations.
Social and Affective Sciences Group
Group Coordinator:
H.
Hill
Goldsmith, PhD
The Social and
Affective Sciences (SAS) investigators study human and
primate behavior from a variety of behavioral and biological
perspectives. The SAS comprises 19 investigators who emphasize a
multidisciplinary approach to understanding the varying trajectories
of typical and atypical human development across the life span.
Investigators in the SAS study children, adolescents, and adults
and have developed non-human primate models to study aspects of
development not readily addressed in human research. Eight
investigators primarily use brain imaging methods. Another group of
investigators focuses on social processes, including family, school,
and community influences.
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