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Recently published Reviews

Memory and learning – using mouse to model neurobiological and behavioural aspects of Down syndrome and assess pharmacotherapeutics

This paper by Katheleen Gardiner reviews the challenges inherent in using mouse models in Down syndrome research and then describes the successful molecular/genetic interventions that are cause for cautious optimism.... Read more...

Families of children with Down syndrome: What we know and what we need to know

This Review presented at the Down Syndrome Research Directions Symposium 2007 provides an overview of what is currently known about families of children with Down syndrome. In addition, it highlights... Read more...

The developmental approach to the study of Down syndrome: Contemporary issues in historical perspective

This Review, presented at the Down Syndrome Research Directions Symposium 2007, considers how the developmental approach provides an essential framework for understanding Down syndrome. Paradoxically, this framework both narrows and... Read more...

The Down syndrome behavioural phenotype: Taking a developmental approach

Individuals with Down syndrome are predisposed to show a specific behavioural phenotype, or a pattern of strengths and challenges in functioning across different domains of development. In this Review presented... Read more...

Speech production in people with Down syndrome

There is a well developed literature on the development of vocabulary and grammar in children with Down syndrome but limited information in the area of speech production. The spoken language... Read more...

Number and arithmetic skills in children with Down syndrome

It is clear that arithmetic and number skills are areas of particular difficulty for individuals with Down syndrome. Studies of arithmetic development in typically developing children suggest that a pre-verbal... Read more...

Social and communicative functioning

It is widely acknowledged that the establishment of positive attachment relationships and communication with primary caregivers is an important outcome of social-emotional development in early childhood. Attachment security and communication... Read more...

Memory and neuropsychology in Down syndrome

This Review, presented at the Down Syndrome Research Directions Symposium 2007, outlines the strengths and weaknesses in both short-term and long-term memory in individuals with Down syndrome, and the implications... Read more...

How relationship focused intervention promotes developmental learning

Relationship focused intervention (RFI) is an early intervention model that encourages parents to engage in highly responsive interactions with their children. The purpose of this Review paper presented at the... Read more...

Creating support for families of children with Down syndrome with a co-diagnosis: A survey

This Review, presented at the Down Syndrome Research Directions Symposium 2007, summaries whait is known about creating support for families with Down syndrome with co-diagnosis. Little is known about the... Read more...

Reviews

Original reviews of progress and developments in research and practice.

Research Directions Reviews Series

Advance Online Publication copies of Reviews from the first Research Directions Symposium are now available.

These include reviews by many of the world's leading authorities on the development of people with Down syndrome and covert topics including speech and language, literacy and reading, learning and memory, early intervention and families.

The Down Syndrome Research Directions Symposium 2007 brought together a multidisciplinary group of leading scientists, active in research into Down syndrome and related issues. The symposium reviewed current understanding of Down syndrome and identified promising future research directions.

The symposium was hosted by Down Syndrome Education International in association with the Anna and John J Sie Foundation and with the generous support of the Down Syndrome Foundation of Orange County (USA) and the National Down Syndrome Society (USA).


Literacy skills

Reading is often a strength for young people with Down syndrome, yet not every child with Down syndrome excels at reading, nor are the optimal teaching methods clear. This Review by Maggie Snowling and colleagues at the University of York, UK, looks at a number of the challenges facing research on literacy development for children with Down syndrome. It then examines what research to date suggests about literacy skills, effective interventions and where future research directions lie.

This Review is part of the Research Directions Symposium Series, examining our current understanding of Down syndrome and identifying future directions for research to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome.


The challenges and potential of using mouse models in Down syndrome research

Photograph of a mouseMouse models are a standard tool in the study of many human diseases, providing insights into the normal functions of a gene, how these are altered in disease and how they contribute to a disease process, as well as information on drug action, efficacy and side effects. Our knowledge of human genes, their genetics, functions, interactions and biochemistry, has dramatically improved over the last few years. Recently, several different drugs have been shown to rescue learning and memory deficits in a major mouse model of Down syndrome.

This Review by Katheleen Gardiner looks at the challenges inherent in using mouse models in Down syndrome research and then describes the successful molecular/genetic interventions that are cause for cautious optimism. The paper also predicts critical molecular abnormalities that can be tested for relevance to learning and memory and that are potential targets of existing pharmacotherapeutics.

This Review is part of the Research Directions Symposium Series, examining our current understanding of Down syndrome and identifying future directions for research to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome.