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U.S. House and Senate Committees Encourage NIH to Increase Research on Down Syndrome
December 2004

U.S. House and Senate appropriations subcommittees that oversee the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have included language in their 2004 committee reports encouraging NIH to increase funding for Down syndrome cognition research. Both subcommittees urged NIH to expand research on gene expression in the brain and on the development of possible biomedical interventions to improve cognition, memory, speech and behavior. They also encouraged more research on preventing early dementia in persons with Down syndrome.

The subcommittees also encouraged the various Institutes at NIH to coordinate their research on Down syndrome and to address the serious shortage of mice used for Down syndrome research.

Senate Committee Report

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Down Syndrome- Recently Down syndrome research has begun to focus more on understanding the effect the disorder has on gene expression, cell function, neurons and neural systems. The Committee strongly encourages NINDS to expand its research on Down syndrome, particularly as it relates to gene expression in the brain and the development of possible biomedical interventions to improve cognition, memory, speech, behavior, and prevent early dementia. The Committee further encourages NINDS to assume a leadership role in coordinating this research among the Institutes and to work closely with NICHD to address the serious shortage of mice used for Down syndrome research.

National Child Health and Human Development
Down Syndrome- The Committee encourages NICHD to increase funding for Down syndrome research as relates to gene expression of chromosome 21, the effects on cell function and cognition, and possible medical treatments to eliminate or reduce the cognitive abnormalities associated with the disorder. The Committee is aware of a serious shortage of mice used in the research of Down Syndrome and strongly encourages NICHD to increase funding for greater production of the Ts65Dn mouse model and for the research and development of other mouse models. The Committee also urges NICHD to work closely with NINDS, NIA, NIMH and NHGRI to establish a new, multi-year research initiative to fund Down syndrome biomedical research on cognition, behavior and early dementia.

National Institute on Aging
Down Syndrome--Research has shown that all persons with Down syndrome develop the neuropathological findings of Alzheimer's disease, and that many go on in later life to show cognitive decline. The Committee strongly urges NIA to increase funding to study the connection between Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome and to work closely with NINDS, NICHD, NIMH and NHGRI to establish a new, multi-year research initiative to fund Down syndrome research on improving cognition and preventing early dementia through biomedical treatments

House Committee Report

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Down syndrome.--Recently Down syndrome research has begun to focus increasingly on understanding the effect the disorder has on gene expression, cell function, neurons and neural systems. The Committee strongly encourages NINDS to expand its research on Down syndrome, particularly as it relates to gene expression in the brain and the development of possible biomedical interventions to improve cognition, memory, speech, behavior, and to prevent early dementia. The Committee further encourages NINDS to assume a leadership role in coordinating this research among the Institutes and to work closely with NICHD to address the serious shortage of mice used for Down syndrome research.

National Child Health and Human Development
Down syndrome.--The Committee encourages NICHD to enhance funding for Down syndromes research as it relates to gene expression of chromosome 21, the effects on cell function and cognition, and possible medical treatments to eliminate or reduce the cognitive abnormalities associated with the disorder. The Committee is aware of the shortage of mice used in the research of Down syndrome and encourages NICHD to strengthen its support for greater production of the Ts65Dn mouse model and for the research and development of other mouse models. The Committee also encourages NICHD to work closely with NINDS, NIA, NIH and NHGRI to establish a new, multi-year research initiative to fund Down syndrome biomedical research on cognition, behavior and early dementia.

National Institute on Aging
Down syndrome.--Research has shown that many people with Down syndrome develop the neuropathological findings of Alzheimer's disease, and that many go on in later life to show cognitive decline. The Committee encourages NIA to study the connection between Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome and to work closely with NINDS, NICHD, NIMH and NHGRI to establish an initiative to support Down syndrome research on improving cognition and preventing early dementia through biomedical treatments.

National Institute for Mental Health
Down syndrome.--The Committee encourages NIMH to research the mental health symptoms of persons with Down syndrome and to investigate risk factors and possible treatments for autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit disorder, anxiety and depression. The Committee urges NIMH to include Down syndrome in its studies on related disorders and to coordinate its work with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Committee encourages NIMH to work closely with NINDS, NICHD, NIA and NHGRI to establish a research initiative to fund Down syndrome research relating to cognition and behavior through biomedical interventions.