title: Which neurodevelopmental disorders get researched and why?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are substantial differences in the amount of research concerned with different disorders. This paper considers why.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bibliographic searches were conducted to identify publications (1985-2009) concerned with 35 neurodevelopmental disorders: Developmental dyslexia, Developmental dyscalculia, Developmental coordination disorder, Speech sound disorder, Specific language impairment, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Autistic spectrum disorder, Tourette syndrome, Intellectual disability, Angelman syndrome, Cerebral palsy, Cornelia de Lange syndrome, Cri du chat syndrome, Down syndrome, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Fetal alcohol syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Galactosaemia, Klinefelter syndrome, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, Lowe syndrome, Marfan syndrome, Neurofibromatosis type 1, Noonan syndrome, Phenylketonuria, Prader-Willi syndrome, Rett syndrome, Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, Trisomy 18, Tuberous sclerosis, Turner syndrome, Velocardiofacial syndrome, Williams syndrome, XXX and XYY. A publication index reflecting N publications relative to prevalence was derived.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The publication index was higher for rare than common conditions. However, this was partly explained by the tendency for rare disorders to be more severe.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although research activity is predictable from severity and prevalence, there are exceptions. Low rates of research, and relatively low levels of NIH funding, characterise conditions that are the domain of a single discipline with limited research resources. Growth in research is not explained by severity, and was exceptionally steep for autism and ADHD.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Neuropsychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. dorothy.bishop@psy.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Dorothy V M
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Bishop
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D011642:Publications / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*