KU researchers recieve $4.9 million grant

Scientist at KU received a five-year, $4.9 million grant to support their mental-retardation research.

The grant funds will be available for allocation to 57 KU investigators working on 62 projects under the umbrella of the Kansas Center for Mental Retardation, said Stephen R. Schroeder, director of the KU Institute for Life Span Studies.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development made the award.

The investigators are working at the Smith Mental Retardation and Human Development Center on the KU Medical Center campus; Juniper Gardens Children's Project in Kansas City, Kan.; the Institute for Life Span Studies and other units based in Lawrence; and a branch of the institute in Parsons.

Researchers at the children's project and the institute study risks and prevention of mental retardation, as well as intervention techniques to permit children to develop normally. They also focus on language and communication. Smith center researchers concentrate on reproductive biology and the development of the central nervous system as they relate to retardation.

Particular projects focus on topics such as these:

• Causes and prevention of destructive behavior among people with severe developmental disabilities.

• Skills crucial to the communication abilities of people with mental retardation.

• Brain structures and chemicals related to memory.

• Prevention of mental retardation related to maternal diabetes through the development of implantable glucose sensors to monitor blood-sugar levels.

• Marijuana use and abnormal fetal development.

Services funded by the grant include research design, analysis, administration and computer support, Schroeder said.

Other services are related to investigations of the biological bases of mental retardation. These include growing tissue cultures, cloning antibodies and analyzing high-tech images.

The KU center is one of 14 such U.S. centers funded by the federal government.