Down Syndrome Research Center
Down syndrome is one of the most common causes of intellectual disability, occurring in 1 in every 700 children. Many people have tried very hard to find treatments that improve the quality of life for those with Down syndrome, but few treatments have come about, largely because we currently don’t have sufficient understanding of the basic cellular, molecular and systemic changes that cause Down syndrome’s characteristic intellectual difficulties. SINTN and the Stanford Down Syndrome Research Center are building a strong, interdisciplinary collaborative research program aimed at advancing our understanding of the mechanisms causing intellectual disabilities in individuals with Down syndrome, identifying commonalities with related neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, developing strategies to normalize behavioral and cognitive function, and translating these discoveries into viable therapies that can improve the quality of life for individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Work at SINTN and the Down Syndrome Research Center includes the development of animal models of Down syndrome, an analysis of the differences in how neuronal circuitry develops in the disorder, and the study of the Alzheimer-like loss of brain function in the third decade of life. One of the priorities of Down syndrome research at Stanford is the development of ways to rapidly and reliably assess conginitive function and evaluate how well therapeutic strategies are working. Ultimately, the goal will be to develop therapies that alleviate the sleep disturbances, cognitive and psychiatric disorders and age-related dementia in those with Down syndrome.
Down Syndrome Research Center Website: http://dsresearch.stanford.edu/
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