IACC Subcommittee for Basic and Translational Research Planning Group for Question 2 (How Can I Understand What Is Happening?) Conference Call - September 28, 2012
Announcement
| Topic | Topic Description |
|---|---|
| Date: | Friday, September 28, 2012 |
| Time: | 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern |
| Agenda: | The planning group for Question 2 will discuss updates for the IACC Strategic Plan. |
| Place: | No in-person meeting; conference call only |
| Conference Call: | Dial: (888) 889-4995 Access code: 8895361 |
| Materials: | Meeting materials |
| Contact Person: | Ms. Lina Perez Office of Autism Research Coordination National Institute of Mental Health, NIH 6001 Executive Boulevard, NSC, Room 6182A Rockville, Maryland 20852 Phone: (301) 443-6040 E-mail: IACCPublicInquiries@mail.nih.gov |
| Please Note: | The meeting will be made available to the public via conference call. Members of the public who participate using the conference call phone number will be able to listen to the meeting but will not be heard. If you experience any technical problems with the conference call, please-e mail IACCTechSupport@acclaroresearch.com or call the IACC Technical Support Help Line at 443-680-0098. Accommodations Statement: Schedule subject to change. |
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Agenda
No in-person meeting; conference call only. The materials for the meeting can be found here.
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 11:00 a.m. | Roll Call and Opening Remarks Walter Koroshetz, M.D. National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke (NINDS) Chair, Basic and Translational Research Question 2 Planning Group Roger Little – Designated Federal Official National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) |
| 11:15 a.m. | Discussion |
| 12:00 p.m. | Adjournment |
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Minutes
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) Subcommittee for Basic and Translational Research Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder, Question 2 Planning Group, convened a conference call on Friday, September 28, 2012, from 12:26 p.m. to 1:05 p.m.
In accordance with Public Law 92-463, the meeting was open to the public. Dr. Walter Koroshetz, M.D., Chair, presided.
Participants:
Walter Koroshetz, M.D., Chair, National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke (NINDS); Roger Little, Ph.D., Designated Federal Official, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH); David Amaral, Ph.D., University of California, Davis; Elizabeth Baden, Ph.D., Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC), (NIMH); Dennis Choi, M.D., Ph.D., Stoneybrook University; Carlos Pardo-Villamizar, M.D., Johns Hopkins University; Kevin Pelphrey, Ph.D., Yale University; Kate Saylor, M.S., (NINDS) (assisting Walter Koroshetz); Alison Tepper Singer, M.B.A., Autism Science Foundation (ASF)
Roll Call and Opening Remarks
Dr. Roger Little welcomed participants to the call for the Strategic Plan Update Question 2 Planning Group (How can I understand what is happening?). Dr. Walter J. Koroshetz called roll, and briefly reviewed the call's agenda. It was noted that this question dealt with the biological basis of autism, particularly what early development. Were there known biological differences that could help explain ASD symptoms? Could looking at subgroups help to better understand the etiology of ASD?
In terms of this year's update, he said that this 2012 update would be an addendum to the Strategic Plan, not a rewrite. The IACC intended to make revisions to the Strategic Plan in 2013. Given this, they would focus on highlighting progress toward fulfilling Question 2 objectives, identifying major advances of 2011-2012, and noting any new gap areas. A preliminary draft would be presented at the 2012 IACC Strategic Planning Workshop.
Dr. Dennis W. Choi asked for clarification regarding the difference between Question 2 and Question 3. Dr. Koroshetz said that the categories were picked from the previous iteration. He said that if a gene had been discovered, and there was a study that showed the biological role of that gene with regard to how it might interplay with autism or an autism-related disorder, this would involve Question 2. Question 3 covered studies of genetic risk factors.
Ms. Alison Tepper Singer said that when they originally differentiated between Sections 2 and Section 3, Section 2 focused on brain growth, brain structure, issues of connectivity, issues of tissue-based research, and brain-based tissue research. Dr. Koroshetz said that there was some overlap and that articles with a question mark should be reviewed to determine if they belonged in Question 3.
Assignment of Discussion Topics
The topic of biomarkers was assigned to Dr. Carlos Pardo-Villamizar. Dr. Koroshetz said he thought that the person assigned to molecular basis also should be assigned to subtypes because they were so closely related and could be combined. Dr. David Amaral said that there were other ways of defining subtypes of autism, and he recommended broadening the section on subtypes of autism. Dr. Koroshetz said he would cover molecular basis and subtypes. Dr. Pardo-Villamizar said that the issue of regression and the clinical subtypes was important and should be kept together.
Dr. Koroshetz said a new topic would be created – clinical subtypes – that would include studies of regression, language, and developmental delay. This was assigned to Dr. Amaral. Dr. Koroshetz said that the next essential processing included studies looking at some of the problems in social interactions, oratory processing, and visual/spatial skills. Dr. Pardo-Villamizar said that sensory processing and the neural system should be part of the same chapter.
Dr. Kevin Pelphrey and Dr. Koroshetz agreed, and said the topic would be the sensory processing differences in autism versus typically-developing individuals, as well as neural systems and circuitry differences in autism versus typically-developing individuals. This was assigned to Dr. Pelphrey. Dr. Amaral was assigned brain structure and neuropathology.
Dr. Pardo-Villamizar was assigned the immune and autoimmune basis of autism. Dr. Choi was assigned epilepsy and gastrointestinal issues and said he would call it comorbidities. Dr. Pelphrey was assigned gender and sex differences. Dr. Amaral and Ms. Singer were assigned the use of biospecimens in induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS) cells. Dr. Amaral said that this topic could stand by itself, and might be one of the gap areas. Ms. Singer pointed out that because this topic would be part of the Chapter 7 gap area, there should be some coordination between the two chapters.
Ms. Singer reminded everyone to write concisely, and to focus on the key successes and gaps. She added that slow or disappointing progress in a particular area should be noted. She asked everyone to send his/her documents by October 10, and noted that these sections were due to be submitted by October 22, with the possibility of a conference call before that. She said that if group members could think of new gap areas, or if the research in a particular area had been stagnant, this should be highlighted, along with ideas for improvement of gap areas.
Ms. Kate Saylor asked writers to include suggestions about updating short-term and long-term objectives. Dr. Baden asked participants to copy her and Ms. Gemma Weiblinger on all email correspondence.
Adjournment
The call was adjourned at 1:05 p.m.
Certification
I hereby certify that this meeting summary is accurate and complete.
/Susan Daniels/ November 16, 2012
Susan A. Daniels, Ph.D.
Executive Secretary, Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
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Materials
- Agenda/Topics (PDF – 65 KB)
- Preliminary list of 2011-2012 publications relevant to Question 2 (PDF – 441 KB)
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Transcript
- Meeting Transcript (PDF - 131 KB)
