IDDRC National Directors Meeting and 2023 Cycle 2 Pilot Projects
By Erin F. Jones, BA, manager of research operations for Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Neuropsychology Department
In November, the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) at Kennedy Krieger Institute collaborated with The Johns Hopkins University to co-host the 2023 National IDDRC Directors’ Meeting alongside Children’s National Hospital’s IDDRC in Washington, D.C. Primarily centered on career development, major topics of discussion included collaborative, network-wide studies focusing on intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) genetics, as well as enhancing the engagement of underrepresented populations in research. The meeting also highlighted early-stage investigators, including Natasha Ludwig, PhD, and Rowena Ng, PhD, from Kennedy Krieger’s Department of Neuropsychology.
On November 1, the IDDRC announced its support of 10 pilot investigations:
- Richard Boada, PhD, ABPP: “Evaluation of fMRI Paradigms for Memory Representation in Pediatric Epilepsy”
- Anne Comi, MD: “Long-term Cognitive Outcome After Pre-Symptomatic Treatment in Sturge-Weber Syndrome”
- Amena Fine, MD, PhD: “Utility of Advanced MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and Wearable Technology to Identify Quantitative Sensory-Motor Performance Measures in Adrenomyeloneuropathy and Related Leukodystrophies”
- Amy Keefer, PhD, ABPP: “Longitudinal Psychiatric and Neurobiological Outcomes of Intolerance of Uncertainty in Autistic Adolescents and Young Adults”
- Jennifer Keller, MS, PT: “Study of Adapted Exercise and Mindfulness Interventions to Improve Motor Function and Sleep Quality in Individuals with Neurodegenerative Disease”
- Doris Lin, MD, PhD: “Mapping of Brain GABA Levels in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Using High-Resolution Proton MR Spectroscopic Imaging”
- Doris Lin, MD, PhD: “Brain Mapping in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and Sturge Weber Syndrome Using 3D Synthetic MRI”
- Rowena Ng, PhD: “Pilot Study Characterizing the Cognitive and Neurobehavioral Profiles of Wiedemann Steiner Syndrome”
- Rowena Ng, PhD: “Characterizing the Molecular, Cognitive, and Neurobehavioral Phenotype Associated with Deficiency of TET3: Role of DNA Demethylation in Developmental Disorders”
- Dan Zhu, PhD: “Single-Shot VSASL for Motion-Compensated Infant CBF Mapping”
Notably, this cycle of pilot funding marks the final one under the current iteration funded by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR). The pilot support program is anticipated to relaunch with a new funding source in the fall of 2024.
As a reminder, the IDDRC at Kennedy Krieger supports any investigator conducting research on IDD at the Institute, regardless of independent funding status. A range of specialized services, including one-time consultation and navigation services, are available through the IDDRC’s Cores:
Please visit IDDRC.KennedyKrieger.org to learn more about the wide array of services provided through the IDDRC, or to access the IDDRC Application Portal. As always, please kindly remember to acknowledge the IDDRC (P50 HD103538) in publications and presentations resulting from IDDRC support.
