Our Research & Medical Center section is designed to help researchers, scientists, physicians, and other medical professionals. The NODCC does not directly sponsor or endorse scientific research programs. However, an important component of the organization’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for research.

The NODCC has a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) that is comprised of parents, medical professionals, and researchers dealing with DCC. The Scientific Advisory Board reviews current research projects regarding disorders of the corpus callosum and provides information about programs that are currently recruiting individuals with DCC to participate.

Prior to being listed on our website or being promoted through our printed material, the SAB requires that all researchers provide proof that projects have Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. An IRB is a committee found in US organizations that reviews, approves and monitors research involving human subjects to ensure it complies with federal regulations and ethical standards concerning matters such as the subjects’ safety, informed consent and privacy rights. The SAB also conducts a project-review prior to allowing researchers to conduct studies in conjunction with the DCC Conference. If you are interested in participating in or learning more about these projects, please contact the project coordinator directly.

The NODCC is associated with the International Research Consortium for the Corpus Callosum and Cerebral Connectivity (IRC5), an international, multidisciplinary effort to promote discoveries leading to understanding the causes, consequences, and effective interventions, for disorders of the corpus callosum and associated disorders of cerebral connectivity. The consortium is composed of scientists and clinicians from around the world striving to make major discoveries that will make a significant difference to the lives of affected individuals.

The IRC5 provides researchers with infrastructure to share data and conduct collaborative research projects. This highly collaborative organization was developed to accelerate research discoveries through creative interaction between basic science and clinical research. For more information see www.irc5.org

Ways you can assist the NODCC to be a catalyst for research

  • Advocate to your elected officials to support increased funding for important research on the wiring of the brain and other brain research related to DCC.
  • Sponsor clinical psychology doctoral students from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology who coordinate the Adults Living with a DCC program at the semi-annual DCC Conferences. Funds are needed to cover the expense of their travel, lodging and meals at the conference.
  • Support research by providing funds to cover the cost of meeting rooms and conference fees for scientists and their teams to conduct research at the semi-annual DCC Conferences.
  • Help provide seed money for doctoral students to set-up and conduct dissertation research on disorders of the corpus callosum.
  • Help fund informational mailings from the NODCC to the organization’s membership regarding on-going research projects.
  • Refer interested DCC researchers to the NODCC to have their proposals submitted to the SAB.