The John F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development (KC) at Vanderbilt University is a Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities Research Center (MRDDRC) in its 39th year of support from NICHD. The KC has a specific objective of supporting research in four major program areas: 1) Communication and Learning, 2) Developmental Neurobiology and Plasticity, 3) Mood and Emotion, and 4) Family Research. In 2001, Vanderbilt designated the KC as a university-wide institute and provided the resources to recruit additional faculty over the next five years. These changes expand the community of Vanderbilt scientists who are dedicated to better understanding and treating the genetic and environmental conditions that give rise to abnormalities in brain and behavioral development. Currently, 72 KC investigators receive federal support for more than 90 projects, which include studies in basic neuroscience and genetics, communication and cognitive disorders, special education, and developmental and clinical psychology. Approximately half of KC investigators utilize model systems in basic research, incorporating powerful genetic and experimental methods to study the genetic and environmental regulation of brain development, mechanisms of neuronal communication, and cellular and functional brain plasticity after injury or damage caused by gene mutations. Clinical researchers comprise half of the research efforts in the KC, and use multidisciplinary approaches to study language development, reading and math skills, the relationship between behavioral and cognitive dysfunction, regulation of emotional states, the short- and long-term impact of developmental disabilities on family relationships, and the neurogenetic and environmental contributions to mental retardation. Multidisciplinary projects involve the integration of cognitive and behavioral sciences with neuroscience and genetic methods to investigate disorders such as autism, mental retardation, Prader-Willi and Williams syndromes, aggression, ADHD, depression, anxiety, and learning disabilities. Four core services are proposed to support these research efforts: (A) Administrative, (B) Neuroscience, (C) Technology and Informatics, (D) Clinical Research and Assessment.
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