The future of research in intellectual and developmental disabilities was the broad lens of keynote speaker Laurie Cutting, Ph.D., at the 9th Annual VKC Science Day, Sept. 19.
Cutting is Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Special Education, Professor of Psychology, Radiology, and Pediatrics, and VKC Associate Director.
“Traditionally, the field has operated largely through independent streams of research,” Cutting said. She identified some of those streams as cellular/molecular, animal, genetic, and human research, the latter involving research that characterizes development and developmental disorders (DD) and intervention research to ameliorate disorders.
She attributed gaps among those streams both to earlier limitations of technology and to insufficient interdisciplinary training.
“We can now begin to fill this gap in ways we couldn’t have done before,” she said.
Laurie E. Cutting, Ph.D.
Cutting identified four major areas of opportunity in DD research. The first involves using neuroimaging to link human and mouse models.
The second area of opportunity is the advent of methodologies to allow for deeper exploration of the biological causal factors where researchers see clinically observable changes. Those methods include optogenetics, which allows scientists to manipulate neural activity by turning neurons “on and off” in live animals and brain stimulation.
“These methodologies will help us understand more about brain plasticity and its mechanisms, as well as its limits,” Cutting said.
A third area of opportunity is the evolution of “big data,” making it possible to efficiently conglomerate and share masses of data, which allows researchers to combine gene-brain data with deep phenotypic information to enable new insights.
The fourth opportunity, Cutting said, is enhanced ability to tailor interventions, that is, to pursue personalizing instruction to explore interactions between individual child characteristics and instructional approaches.
“These areas of opportunity, if pursued, can facilitate our ability to personalize medicine and treatments, as well as helping us to more precisely characterize developmental disorders, especially the many disorders, such as autism, that are on a continuum,” she said.
More precise characterizations would contribute to a better understanding of commonalities across disorders, to determine if there is a “biological bump” or “dividing lines.”
Cutting also identified issues with which researchers must grapple. Is “cure” an aim? Often DD research focuses on developmental weaknesses within disorders, but less research has been devoted to strengths, such as ability to detect complex patterns in autism, or a passion for music in Williams syndrome.
She stressed the continued need for interdisciplinary training when institutions too often still operate in silos, making such training a challenge.
Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have an ideal environment for capitalizing on these opportunities in DD research, Cutting said, including advanced tools and methodologies, personalized medicine, “big data” facilitated by BioVU and other large datasets, and interdisciplinary training programs.
Cutting used educational neuroscience as an exemplar of a team effort that blends research on brain development and educational research, as well as Peabody College’s interdisciplinary training program in educational neuroscience.
Cutting presented her own research in reading development as an exemplar of educational neuroscience. She is examining the neurobiological correlates of word and passage comprehension in adolescents, with the aim of identifying strengths and weaknesses in various subcomponents of reading and how they relate to neurobiological differences. Imaging (fMRI) indicates that some brain regions are unique and others overlapping when processing words versus gleaning information from text; and that connections among different brain areas, including those in domain general regions, are important for coordinating these different aspects of reading. Further research also suggests that this same domain general region may be important in predicting responsiveness to intervention.
Data Blitz presenters (left to right): David Simon, Max Joffe, Nicole Fisher, Hannah Krimm, Branden Stansley
Prizes for Outstanding Research Posters
Based on abstracts of research posters submitted, the Science Day Planning Committee selected a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow prize recipient in three thematic areas. Each presented their study in a 5-minute “data blitz” or “lightning talk”:
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Research
- Repairing broken synapses in autism: The promise of mGlu7—Nicole Fisher, graduate student, VKC advisors Colleen Niswender, Ph.D., and Jeff Conn, Ph.D.
- Mechanisms of mGlu-3 mediated synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex—Max Joffe, postdoctoral fellow, VKC advisor Jeff Conn, Ph.D.
Clinical, Behavioral, and Intervention Research
- Word structure knowledge of children with language impairment—Hannah Krimm, graduate student, VKC advisor Melanie Schuele, Ph.D.
Systems Neuroscience Research
- EEG investigation of sensory responsiveness in toddlers at risk for autism—David Simon, graduate student, VKC advisor Mark Wallace, Ph.D.
- Learning to forget: A new way for neurons to extinguish memories—Branden Stansley, postdoctoral fellow, VKC advisors Colleen Niswender, Ph.D., and Jeff Conn, Ph.D.
Undergraduate prize recipient
- The stuttering stereotype: Negative automatic associations and diminished credibility—Taylor Boothby, VKC advisor Tedra Walden, Ph.D.
All 116 poster presenters/first authors become VKC Affiliates who are eligible in the next year to apply for a VKC Travel Award to present their research as scientific meetings and conferences. In the past year, 35 VKC Travel Awards were made to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
Experiencing Science Day
Evaluations of Science Day yield a kaleidoscope of experiences. What did attendees most appreciate? The following responses illustrate:
- Opportunities to learn about other labs’ research and to find connections to improve my own techniques.
- Seeing the scope of the projects happening now at VKC.
- Opportunities for discussion.
- A lot of feedback as well as practice on presenting a poster.
- The vision of Science Day. It’s great to talk with colleagues in and out of my field of research.
- The Data Blitz—they gave great, polished presentations.
- Being given an opportunity to present my work to the Vanderbilt community.
- The diverse range of poster presentations.
- The multidisciplinary approach to investigating a common disability such as autism.
- Good chance to see work from scholars whom I otherwise would not encounter.
- The keynote presentation was great!
In Appreciation
The VKC Planning Committee was chaired by Ann Kaiser, Ph.D., Susan Gray Chair in Education and Human Development, professor of Special Education and Psychology. The Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience theme was led by Ron Emeson, Ph.D., Joel G. Hardman Professor of Pharmacology, professor of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics and Psychiatry. The Clinical, Behavioral, and Intervention Research theme was led by Julie Lounds Taylor, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics and Special Education. The Systems Neuroscience theme was led by Carissa Cascio, Ph.D., assistant professor of Psychiatry.
Appreciation of VKC staff includes Elizabeth Turner, VKC coordinator of Communications, who manages all logistics and communications for Science Day, and Jon Tapp, VKC director of Information Technology.
Jan Rosemergy is VKC deputy director and director of Communications and Dissemination.
Pictured top of page: Graduate students/postdocs presenting their posters to attendees at VKC Science Day 2016. Photo by Susan Urmy / Vanderbilt University.
