Civitan Research Center Program Summaries
Below is a list of current primary research at the Civitan International Research Center (CIRC). The list is followed by a brief summary of each program. Some links will take you to departmental and/or program web sites.
Programs at the Civitan International Research Center
· Mental Retardation Research Center
· Treating Brain Tumors
· Neonatal Seizures
· Pediatric CI Therapy
· Kernicterus Prevention
· Rett Syndrome
· Developing and Repairing the Brain
· Understanding Addictions
· Alexander’s Disease
· Civitan Emerging Scholars Program
· Huntington’s Disease
· Inherited Movement Disorders
· Child Neglect by Teenage Mothers
· Meet Your Neighbor
· UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics
· Early Head Start Program
· Dental Services
· Adolescents and Adults with Developmental Disabilities
· Training ProgramsUAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics
Alan Percy, M.D., the CIRC Medical Director, directs UAB Civitan-Sparks Clinics which is comprised numerous specialty clinics related to developmental disabilities. The clinics currently experience more than 9,000 client encounters each year and represent the largest provider of services for children with developmental disabilities in Alabama.Over the past three years, children from all but one of the state’s 67 counties were served by the clinics. In addition, more than 9,000 encounters also take place each year in community settings.Mental Retardation Research Center
The UAB Mental Retardation Research Center located at the Civitan International Research Center. Funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the research center includes projects in basic neurosciences, prenatal development, and neurological processes in myelinogenesis.It also includes administrative, neuroscience, and data analysis support cores.Life Projects and the Lifelong Coordination Clinic
Dr. Ellen Dossett is directing this program and clinic that focuses upon issues that encompass independence and autonomy for all individuals with disabilities. These goals are within reach for people with all degrees of abilities when they are given appropriate support services throughout their lives. Inspirational examples of this success can be seen in the book written by Dr. Dossett, Just As I Am: Americans With Disabilities. Professionals are available to design and implement support services based on individual needs. Past and present programs coordinated through Life Projects include the Lifelong Coordination Clinic (LCC), the AmeriCorps Community Service Program (program has moved to UAB Public Health), Meet Your Neighbor (three-year project has met its goals), Research , Advocacy Services, and Assistance to Employers and Businesses. We share collaborative efforts with the Alabama Council for Developmental Disabilities (ACDD), as well as, the newly established Governor’s Office on Disability (GOOD).Constraint Therapy
The Civitan Center has played a key role in developing and implementing Pediatric Constraint Induced Therapy, now known as Aquire_c Therapy at the CIRC. Children with cerebral palsy frequently experience paralysis on one side of the body. Drs. Edward Taub, Sharon Ramey, and Karen Echols adapted a type of constraint therapy, developed initially for adult stroke victims, and are treating children with one-side paralysis. The process involves applying a cast to the usable limb and then working extensively with the children for at least six hours a day for 21 consecutive days to coax them to use the limb affected by paralysis. The results have been dramatic and all the children treated now have beneficial use of the limbs that had been paralyzed. The National Institutes of Health recognized the importance of this work and will fund expanded clinical trials with a grant starting in the fall of 2002.Rett Syndrome
Rett syndrome is a developmental disorder affecting young girls that is characterized by profound cognitive impairment, communication dysfunction, stereotypic movements, and pervasive growth failure. A girl with Rett syndrome may wring her hands and move them back and forth repeatedly in what is called a stereotype movement. Dr. Alan Percy, a child neurologist, is collaborating with colleagues at Baylor College of Medicine who recently discovered the gene that is primarily involved in Rett syndrome. They also now understand the chemical mechanisms that lead to a malfunction of the gene. These clinical scientists are designing therapeutic strategies to reverse the effects of this serious disorder. A Rett Syndrome Clinic and Research Program is now underway at the Center's Sparks Clinics.Early Head Start Program
Dr. Fred Biasini and Alisa Hoffman, M.D., direct the Civitan Center’s Early Head Start program. Its major focus is children who have been exposed to substance abuse during the prenatal period and their families. More than 70 families receive services that include medical care, developmental assessment, childcare and developmental support, and nutrition. Early intervention services are provided for the children who have developmental delays. Adult services include drug treatment, job counseling, parenting education, and home instruction. The goal for the program is for these families to become independent, drug-free, and able to make decisions about their needs and the children’s care.Treating Brain Tumors
Dr. Harald Sontheimer, CIRC Director, leads a research group that developed a serum, based on scorpion venom that promises to provide effective treatment for virulent glioma brain tumors. These tumors affect approximately 17,000 people annually in the United States and are nearly always fatal. The new serum targets the tumor and destroys it before it can migrate and damage other parts of the brain. This revolutionary therapy also has considerable potential for treating children with brain tumors since conventional radiation therapy often causes extensive damage to healthy brain tissue. Current clinical trials are taking place at UAB and at City of Hope Medical Center in Los Angeles.Neonatal Seizures
Seizures in newborns can occur from a variety of factors. They can be caused by oxygen deprivation, injuries to the brain, infection, or fever. Dr. John Hablitz and his team are working on an experimental animal model in which certain brain cells moved to the wrong locations. This condition is called a heteropia and these misplaced cells tend to become hyper-excitable which can cause a seizure. The researchers are seeking to understand why seizures occur in this instance and then will design strategies to intervene and prevent the problem.Kernicterus Prevention
Kernicterus is a condition that may occur when a newborn baby is jaundiced, meaning that a chemical breakdown in a blood product known as bilirubin builds to dangerous levels a few days after birth. Kernicterus was thought to be virtually non-existent because the jaundiced condition was usually observed in the nursery and treatment with ultraviolet lights quickly solved the problem. However, mothers and babies now are usually discharged from the hospital within two days after the birth takes place. A pediatrician for a well-baby check for up may not see these babies to two weeks later. In the meantime, a mother may not notice a slight change in skin tone and the baby could develop kernicterus which attacks an area of the brain called the globus pallidus. Muscle movement in the body may be impaired and the child may be contorted and unable to walk or move effectively. Civitan Center scientists are working with Parents of Infants and Children with Kernicterus (PICK), a national organization, provide information throughout the healthcare system and to train young physicians to recognize this condition that most have never seen. They are also trying to understand how bilirubin works and what can be done to prevent these debilitating effects or to reverse the damage after it occurs.Developing and Repairing the Brain
Dr. Lucas Pozzo-Miller is studying brain development and repair of the brain after injury. His work focuses upon molecules that are responsible for brain assembly in the early prenatal period. The billions of cells in the brain must be ordered correctly and “wired” properly in order for it to function normally. However, sometimes errors occur and problems result. Dr. Pozzo-Miller and other scientists are studying the factors that organize the chemical connections between nerve cells, the synapses, and the effects of various chemicals in the brain called growth factors and how they help the brain develop. These same chemicals may be used to repair damage after brain injury.Understanding Addictions
Many babies are born having been exposed in utero to chemical substances that can damage their brains or even addict them. Substances like alcohol, cocaine, or even nicotine from cigarette smoke can damage a baby’s developing brain. Dr. Robin Lester leads a group of scientists that has isolated the molecule in the brain called the nicotinic receptor. They are learning how that receptor changes after it is exposed to nicotine and what makes the brain need more nicotine to satisfy cravings. Better understanding of the chemical processes that cause addiction can lead to therapeutic strategies to intervene and stop the cascade of negative events.Alexander’s Disease
Dr. Michael Brenner has made a major discovery of the gene associated with Alexander’s disease, a profound disorder that is often fatal by puberty and frequently causes severe cognitive limitation. The disease is caused by a gene malfunction in the brain’s glial cells. These glial cells provide the nutrients and natural environment for the nerve cells in the brain. Dr. Brenner and his colleagues at other universities have developed a screen to test children for this gene very early in their development.Civitan Emerging Scholars
The UAB Civitan International Research Center Program for Emerging Scholars in Developmental Disabilities supports innovation and research by trainees at the doctoral or postdoctoral level. In August and September 2005 proposals were requested from across the UAB campus for clinical or basic science research projects aimed at enhancing our current understanding of normal and abnormal brain development, cognition, autism spectrum disorders, developmental disabilities and mental retardation, or the effects of exposure to environmental toxins on the development of the brain. Seventeen proposals were accepted for the competitive review process, of which, four were chosen to receive $25,000 each for the period October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006.Huntington’s Disease
Dr. Peter Detloff has made an animal model of Huntington’s disease which occurs in adults from early 20s to mid-life. This is a fatal neurological illness characterized by involuntary movements, severe emotional disturbance, and cognitive decline. The model enables researchers to identify the particular deficit so that testing can begin of experimental therapeutic strategies in animals that can lead to effective clinical treatment for humans with Huntington’s disease.Inherited Movement Disorders
Dr. Scott Wilson recently joined the Civitan Center from the National Cancer Institute.>He is studying the genes that affect the development of the brain that often lead to the body’s inability to control movements.>He has already made several seminal discoveries of genes that cause movement disorders and will continue his important work in this area.Child Neglect by Teenage Mothers
The UAB Civitan Center is participating with the universities of Notre Dame, Georgetown, and Kansas in a program intended to reduce abuse and neglect of children by their young teenage mothers. Drs. Robin Lanzi and Kristi Guest study behavior that leads to abuse and conduct programs to counsel mothers and develop positive relationships between them and their children.Dental Services
The UCEDD’s dental clinic, directed by Dr. John Thornton with the assistance of Dr. Janice Jackson from the UAB Department of Pediatric Dentistry, provides a wide range of services to people with developmental disabilities. Services include routine dental procedures such as exams, cleaning, fluoride treatments, x-rays, and minor surgical procedures. The clinic serves children and adults with a wide range of disabilities, including mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, and several individuals with multiple disabilities such as deafness and blindness. Because the Medicaid program in Alabama does not cover dental services for persons over age 21, many adults with disabilities are served at reduced fees or at no charge if necessary. Dentistry fellows conducted research projects focused on dental needs of individuals with developmental disabilities.
Training Programs
The Civitan International Research Center trains students in disciplines related to developmental disabilities and neuroscience. Over the past five years, 551 students received training at the Center for periods ranging from a few weeks to four years. Of that number, 138 received 300 or more hours of training. Half of the students (69) who completed these long-term training programs are currently either working or continuing their education in Alabama. The majority of the Center's students are involved with programs coordinated through the MCH LEND program or through graduate programs in the the UAB Department of Neurobiology.Links to other UAB research Information
The UAB MRRC builds upon the University's three decades of research and service in the field of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Department of Neurobiology
Crucial basic research is underway to unlock the mysteries of brain development and related subjects.Alzheimer's Disease Center
The ADC is an interdisciplinary program of scientists working in diverse areas, including Neurology, psychiatry, Genetics, and Psychology.UAB Epilepsy Center
The UAB Epilepsy Center is one of the largest centers in the country. Clinical activities consist of both outpatient and inpatient services.A complete list of UAB research centers is available here.
