Improving diagnoses of mental retardation in children

Mental retardation (MR) is a highly heterogeneous disorder and is of genetic origin in about 50% of the cases. Despite recent progress in research the causes and the pathophysiology of MR remains obscure. It is essential to investigate this in order to develop future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The overall goal of this proposal is to establish an interdisciplinary Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) consortium of experts with a joint programme of activities to generate knowledge about MR and the structure and dynamics of the brain as such.