A boy playing with a toy airplane

Celebrating Five Years of Transforming Autism Research

Since 2016, the University of Minnesota has been a part of SPARK, a landmark autism research study that examines genetic, behavioral, and medical information from hundreds of thousands of people. Led by Suma Jacob, MD, PhD, director of the Autism Research Program in the CANeurodevelopment Lab, the University has helped SPARK enroll over 250,000 families that are affected by autism, making SPARK the largest study of autism ever. SPARK Research Match connects study participants with autism researchers around the world. To date, 33,676 families have been part of nearly 100 autism research studies through Research Match. As a result of the participation of so many families, SPARK is transforming the way that autism research is done. SPARK will continue on for decades to come, learning from participants as they grow and develop.

Other News

Female doctor using TMS technology on the head of female patient

U of M Research Team Receives $1.2M Grant to Study Tourette Syndrome Treatment

The study will look at the use of TMS as a treatment for youth with Tourette syndrome and other tic disorders.
Group of three young people with an adult mental health counselor

MIDB Aims to Address Shortage of Mental Health Services in Greater Minnesota By Supporting Current Mental Health Workers Through TeleOutreach Model

MIDB members recently participated in a policy breakfast focused on the state of children's mental health in Minnesota.
Multiple brains on scan from MRI

MIDB Researchers Support Breakthrough in Reliability of Brain Studies

This study is part of a broader MIDB initiative to curate and share large-scale neuroimaging datasets.
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