Providing Core Support for Jr. Faculty for Translational Research in ASD

描述（由申请人提供）：响应RFA-OD-09-005，恢复法案有限竞争：生物医学研究核心中心加强研究资源（P30），此新申请的目的是支持我们雇用并提供适当的启动包，为加州大学洛杉矶分校的杰出临床科学家提供终身教职，并在专门的新生物医学研究核心中心的背景下开发资源以支持研究项目。拟议的核心活动将主要在以下背景下进行：1)加州大学洛杉矶分校自闭症研究和治疗中心（CART），该中心是NIH六个自闭症卓越中心（ACE）之一，也是五个ACE网络资助中心之一（PI, Geschwind）；并将在神经行为遗传学中心（CNG）联合任命成功的候选人，该中心拥有国际公认的神经遗传学项目。这两个中心都是在塞梅尔神经科学和人类行为研究所（塞梅尔研究所；前身为神经精神病学研究所）内发展起来的，该研究所为与心理健康有关的广泛临床和基础研究活动提供支持和凝聚力。最后，在脑研究所（BRI）和加州大学洛杉矶分校医学中心的监督下，这个中心得到了大型、高度合作的加州大学洛杉矶分校神经科学界的广泛支持。作为自闭症研究的领先中心，我们采取多学科的方法来研究自闭症谱系障碍（ASD），从早期诊断，遗传学和脑成像到认知，行为，精神药理学和其他治疗方式，我们的工作在多个层面上进行整合。与这个提议的核心中心应用特别相关的是，CART研究人员在我们的年度务虚会期间参与了战略规划。几年前，这一过程的一个主要成果是明确认识到需要扩大我们的婴儿研究能力，并开发一个电生理学项目。因此，我们目前的最高优先级和本中心申请的规划目标是扩大我们的早期婴儿研究，并增加电生理学方法的专业知识，用于研究婴儿和幼儿，语言能力最低的儿童。这一点尤其重要，因为可量化的脑电生理表型可以帮助我们了解自闭症的一些神经生物学和异质性，特别是在仔细的深层表型、遗传学和神经影像学的结合下。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In response to the RFA-OD-09-005, Recovery Act Limited Competition: Biomedical Research Core Centers to Enhance Research Resources (P30), the aims of this new application are to support our hiring and providing an appropriate start-up package for an outstanding clinician scientist as a tenure-track faculty at UCLA and to develop resources to support research projects within the context of a specialized new biomedical research core center. The proposed core activities will be conducted primarily within the context of: 1) the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART), which is one of six NIH Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) and also one of five ACE Network grants (PI, Geschwind); and will involve a joint appointment for the successful candidate within 2) the Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics (CNG), housing an internationally recognized program in neurogenetics. Both of these centers have been developed within the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior (Semel Institute; formerly the Neuropsychiatric Institute), which provides support and cohesion for a wide range of clinical and basic research activities related to mental health. Lastly, there is broad support for this center across the large, highly collaborative UCLA neuroscience community overseen by the Brain Research Institute (BRI) and the UCLA medical center. As a leading center for autism research, we have taken a multidisciplinary approach to the study of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), integrating our work at many levels, from early diagnosis, genetics and brain imaging to cognition, behavior, psychopharmacology and other treatment modalities. Of particular relevance to this proposed core center application, CART investigators have engaged in strategic planning during the course of our annual retreats. Several years ago, a major outcome of this process was the clearly recognized need to expand our infant research capabilities and to develop a program in electrophysiology. Thus, our highest current priority, and the programmatic goal of this center application is to expand our early infant research and to add expertise in electrophysiologic methods for the study of infants and young, minimally verbal children. This is especially important, given that quantifiable, electrophysiologic brain phenotypes may help us understand some of the neurobiology and the heterogeneity in autism, especially in conjunction with careful deep phenotyping, genetics and neuroimaging. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: There is a clearly recognized need to expand infant research capabilities and to develop a program in electrophysiology, which is the programmatic goal of this center application. We want to expand our early infant research and add expertise in electrophysiologic methods for the study of infants and young, minimally verbal children. This is especially important, given that quantifiable, electrophysiologic brain phenotypes may help us understand some of the neurobiology and the heterogeneity in autism, especially in conjunction with careful deep phenotyping, genetics and neuroimaging.