# Early Developmental Determinants and Pathways in Down syndrome

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · 2024 · $232,774

## Abstract

This Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) will facilitate my transition to an independent scientist who conducts
innovative research on mechanisms and pathways of developmental and cognitive risk outcomes in Down syndrome (DS).
Down syndrome is the most common childhood genetic disorder and characterized by substantial phenotypic impairments
across several areas of development, including motor, attention, communication, and cognition. There has been virtually
no investigation, however, into the developmental pathways of early phenotypic impairments in motor or attention, or
their role as determinants for impaired cognitive or communication outcomes in DS. Motor and attention are key
developmental domains effortlessly coordinated to support communication and cognitive learning in typical development.
Delayed achievement of key motor milestones in DS – postural control in particular – has serious implications for the
development of infant attention, as well as for outcomes related to communicative and cognitive functioning through
compromised learning opportunities. Therefore, I propose to investigate the dynamic influence between postural control
and attention in infants with DS and determine their mutual or distinct role in impaired communication and cognitive
outcomes at 24-months in DS. I will characterize the behavioral and physiological features of postural control and
attention by quantifying the kinematics of postural variability and defining heart-rate phases of attention. I will examine
the dynamics of how these features influence one another during discrete learning opportunities, and also across
development to inform their role as determinants on communication and cognitive risk outcomes in DS. Examining the
biobehavioral concordance between these constructs is an innovative, precise, and multi-method approach that can yield
better insight into the developmental complexity in DS. This will be accomplished across three complementary studies
that will provide advanced training and employ cutting-edge methodology. Training initiatives will be accomplished
across two studies implemented during the mentored K99 phase, and then systematically applied to a longitudinal study
during the independent R00 phase. The specific aims across these studies are: 1) Identify differences in physiological and
behavioral facets of attention at 12-months and their role in communication and cognitive skill outcomes at 24-months as
a function of postural control in infants with DS (K99 phase); 2) Determine the concordance across biobehavioral facets
of attention and the reciprocal association between biobehavioral attention and postural control at 9, 12, and 18-months in
infants with DS (K99/R00 phase); and 3) Characterize the biobehavioral pathways and developmental dynamics of
attention and postural control across 9, 12, and 18-months and test whether these domains have a shared or unique
influence on communication or cognitive skill outcomes at 24-months ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10914303
- **Project number:** 5R00HD105980-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth Will
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $232,774
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10914303

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10914303, Early Developmental Determinants and Pathways in Down syndrome (5R00HD105980-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10914303. Licensed CC0.

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