Last Update: 09/08/2006 Printer Friendly Printer Friendly   Email This Page Email This Page  

Collaborative Programs of Excellence in Autism (CPEAs)/Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment (STAART) Centers

AutismThe NICHD, in collaboration with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), has supported the international Network on the Neurobiology and Genetics of Autism since 1997, through its Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Branch. The first investment was $45 million for five years; more recently, the Branch invested $60 million for another five years.

The current network of eight CPEAs and one affiliated program continues to conduct research to learn about the possible causes of autism, including genetic, immunological, and environmental factors, as well as diagnosis, early detection, behavioral and communications characteristics, and treatment of autism. The CPEA Network was the first of its kind to address unique research topics at each center. Although each multidisciplinary, often multi-site project has a unique focus and research plan, many projects also use a common diagnostic protocol and common core measures, enabling the Network to investigate more far-reaching questions than a single project could address alone. In addition, whenever possible and necessary, multiple sites pool their data to address specific research questions. The CPEAs have linked scientists from the United States, Canada, Britain, and five other countries in the study of more than 2,000 families for nearly 10 years. As a result, the CPEAs have data on the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the world’s largest group of well-diagnosed persons with autism.

The Children’s Health Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-310) mandated that the NIH support a new program of at least five centers of excellence focused on autism and related disorders. In response, the Institutes involved in the NIH Autism Coordinating Committee, including the NICHD, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the NIDCD, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences initiated the STAART Centers, a five-year, $65 million research effort focused exclusively on autism. Each STAART site supports and conducts both individual and collaborative projects to learn more about the causes, diagnosis, early detection, prevention, and treatments of autism. The NIMH leads the NIH Institutes’ efforts on STAART, and the other Institutes in the NIH Autism Coordinating Committee also provide programmatic support.

For more information, visit http://www.autismresearchnetwork.org.