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  <h2>CCMHDN Project</h2>

    
	  
  <h3>Autism Center of Excellence</h3>
  <p><strong>Interdisciplinary Studies of Insistence on Sameness (IS) in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)</strong></p>
  <p>With the $9.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the UIC ACE will focus on the development of an interdisciplinary, translational program of research, from gene to biochemistry to neurophysiology to behavior. Specifically, our group is investigating the pathophysiology and treatment of insistence on sameness in autism. Over 1000 families are expected to participate in the next 5 years. The UIC ACE will focus over the next 5 years on the genetics, neurobiology, cognitive and affective processes, and pharmacology of insistence on sameness (IS) in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). </p>
  <p>Three projects are included in the ACE. </p>
  <ul>
    <li>Project I, Genetics of Serotonin in Autism: Neurochemical and Clinical Endophenotypes, will combine data from 250 ACE participants with 225 previously studied subjects and their parents for a total of 475 trios. This project will study 25 serotonin-related genes for association with autism and with IS more specifically.</li>
    <li>In Project II: Translational Studies of Cognitive, Affective and Neurochemical Processes Underlying Insistence on Sameness in Autism, fMRI studies of IS will be conducted on 50 high IS subjects also in Project III, 50 low IS subjects (also in Project I) and 50 control subjects. In addition, rat studies in which parallel behavioral and neurochemical approaches will be used. </li>
    <li>Project III: The Pharmacogenetics of Treatment for Insistence on Sameness in Autism has been designed to replicate and extend a preliminary study of escitalopram treatment of IS-related irritability in ASD.</li>
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