Identifying brain-based autism subtypes
Official title: A mega-analysis framework for delineating autism neurosubtypes
Funded at Child Mind Institute, INC. · NIH-11263648 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are combining thousands of existing brain scans and clinical records from children and teens with and without autism to find consistent brain-connectivity patterns that might define different autism types.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Child Mind Institute, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $709,383 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH133334-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11263648 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adolescents aged about 6–18 with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (and neurotypical controls) who have usable MRI and clinical data in the contributing databases are the relevant group for this work.
✕Less likely to help
Very young children under 6, adults, or people without usable brain MRI or linked clinical data are unlikely to be represented and may not benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
This project pools large, already-collected MRI and clinical datasets from children and adolescents to create a harmonized resource for analysis. The team will use rigorous quality control and advanced statistical/Bayesian modeling to group individuals by similar patterns of intrinsic functional brain connectivity into 'neurosubtypes.' They will link those neurosubtypes to symptoms, behavior, and clinical measures and then test whether the same subtypes appear in independent datasets to ensure findings are reliable.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help match therapies and supports to biologically distinct autism subtypes and improve personalized care plans.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have suggested brain-connectivity subgroups in autism but results have been mixed, and this larger harmonized approach aims to improve reproducibility.
Where this research is happening
-
Child Mind Institute, INC.
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Di Martino, Adriana — Child Mind Institute, INC.
- Study coordinator: Di Martino, Adriana
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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.