Blood-vessel signals that shape brain development in autism and other psychiatric conditions
Official title: Novel Developmental Pathways Underlying Psychiatric Disorders
Funded at Huntington Medical Research Institutes · NIH-11247972 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at how signals from blood vessels in the developing brain may contribute to autism and other psychiatric conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Huntington Medical Research Institutes NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pasadena, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2016 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $524,333 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH110438-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11247972 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with autism spectrum disorder or related psychiatric conditions (for example epilepsy, schizophrenia, anxiety, or depression) who are interested in research on brain development and its causes.
✕Less likely to help
People whose conditions are unrelated to brain vascular or neurodevelopmental mechanisms may not see direct benefits from this work.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, this work looks at how blood-vessel cells in the brain send GABA signals that help guide brain growth after birth. The team studies how those vascular signals control blood-vessel growth, pruning, and stabilization in the postnatal brain using lab models and biological samples. Their earlier work linked disruptions in this pathway to autism, epilepsy, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression, so they are focusing on the mechanisms that could explain those links. The goal is to learn whether changes in endothelial GABA signaling can cause neurodevelopmental problems and point to new ways to treat or prevent them.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could identify new biological targets in brain blood vessels that lead to treatments or prevention approaches for autism and related psychiatric disorders.
How similar studies have gone: Lab studies from this team and others have shown the endothelial GABA pathway in animals and linked it to behavioral changes, but translating these findings into human therapies has not yet been achieved.
Where this research is happening
-
Huntington Medical Research Institutes
Pasadena, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vasudevan, Anju — Huntington Medical Research Institutes
- Study coordinator: Vasudevan, Anju
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.