Launched in 2006, the Autism Phenome Project (APP) is a multidisciplinary longitudinal study of autistic children, enrolled at 2-3 years of age and followed across childhood and into adolescence. The goal is to parse the heterogeneity of autism and identify clinically meaningful subgroups based on behavioral, medical, and neural trajectories. Thus far, we have identified subgroups based on trajectories of IQ development, autism trait trajectories, co-occurring anxiety, co-occurring gastrointestinal symptoms, and brain volume. Innovative methods to acquire MRI scans in very young children as well as those with intellectual disability make this cohort very unique and representative of the full autism spectrum. Many of our efforts are summarized in this review.
Current Phases of APP:
Enrolling new participants who are 11-12 years old with autism (with and without intellectual disability) and without autism. For more information or to sign up, click here.
Inviting previous participants back when they are 9-12 years old and 15-19 years old. If you are a previous APP participant and are interested in returning, please contact us at hs-TeamAPP@ucdavis.edu and a member of our team will follow up with you.
The Girls with Autism – Imaging of Neurodevelopment (GAIN) study was initiated in 2014 to increase representation of females into the APP cohort. With nearly 100 autistic females enrolled at 2-4 years of age and followed through early childhood, we have begun to identify sex differences in many aspects of brain structure and function, including cerebral growth, corpus callosum connectivity, and amygdala structure and function. Currently, girls are returning for an additional longitudinal visit during middle childhood. A new focus is to characterize the emergence of ADHD in autistic girls.
Current Phases of GAIN:
Enrolling new participants who are 2-6 years old with and without autism. For more information or to sign up, click here.
Inviting previous participants back when they are 9-12 years old. If you are a previous GAIN participant and are interested in returning, please contact us at hs-GAINStudy@ucdavis.edu and a member of our team will follow up with you.
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