Tag: Down syndrome

Ann Dewey Catalyst Fund helps launch major NIH grant to advance Down syndrome research

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Research funding that supports early-stage ideas plays a critical role in advancing scientific discovery.  A new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant awarded to Waisman investigator André Sousa, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience at the UW–Madison, demonstrates how strategic seed funding can lay the groundwork for transformative research. Sousa recently received a five-year multimillion-dollar grant …

New drug shows promise for treating Down syndrome-related brain changes

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Individuals with Down syndrome have differences in how their brains form that cause intellectual disability. Down syndrome or trisomy 21 is the most common genetic cause of intellectual and developmental disability and is caused by the triplication of chromosome 21.

Puerto Rico to become a site for The Alzheimer Biomarker Consortium – Down syndrome

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Puerto Rican families have started traveling to Wisconsin to be part of the research study, but the goal is to build the infrastructure to eventually conduct the studies on the island.

Audra Sterling, PhD – Slide of the Week

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Dyadic caregiver-child interactions are commonly used to examine children's language learning environments.

Changes in walking patterns could be an important new screening tool for Alzheimer’s in individuals with Down syndrome

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Individuals with Down syndrome have a 90% lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Developmental markers have the potential to make diagnosing autism in individuals with Down syndrome easier

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Down syndrome, a neurodevelopmental condition caused by a triplicated 21st chromosome, often presents with co-occurring developmental conditions such as autism. But diagnosing autism in someone with Down syndrome can be difficult as they have overlapping symptoms.

METabolic Health, Lifestyle, and Risk of Co-Occurring Health Conditions in Down Syndrome (MET-DS) – (Hartley)

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The METabolic Health, Lifestyle, and Risk of Co-Occurring Health Conditions in Down Syndrome (MET-DS) study is part of the NIH INCLUDE Project (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndrome) and its Collaboration for Down Syndrome Progress (CDP) Program—national initiatives working to improve the health and quality of life of people with …

Early adversity strongly predicts adult mental health challenges in people with Down syndrome, new study finds

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A new Waisman study found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—such as abuse, neglect, or exposure to household challenges—can have lasting effects on adults with Down syndrome, including their mental health and ability to cope with life changes. While ACES are known to impact the general population, this research is among the first to show similar—and in some cases heightened—effects in individuals with Down syndrome.

Anita Bhattacharyya, PhD – Slide of the Week

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Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs) are integral to learning, attention, and memory, and are prone to degeneration in Down syndrome (DS), Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Ruth Litovsky, PhD – Slide of the Week

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Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) have a higher incidence of hearing loss (HL) compared with their peers without developmental disabilities.