Share

GEMMA (Genome, Environment, Microbiome, and Metabolome in Autism)

January 14, 2019 - October 18, 2024

The GEMMA (Genome, Environment, Microbiome, and Metabolome in Autism) project aims to understand the many factors that contribute to the development of autism in children who have an autistic sibling.

What are the goals of the study?

The GEMMA project aims to understand how genes, the environment, gut bacteria, and the digestion of food may relate to the development of autism.

What will happen during the visit or online?

  1. Online surveys about food, health, and behavior,
  2. Behavioral assessments (on Zoom) every 6 months from ages 1 to 3,
  3. Periodic saliva, urine, stool, and blood samples (done at home/locally) until age 3,
  4. One time samples from one or both biological parents and from the sibling with ASD

How will this help families?

Your family will be contributing to research that aims to help improve the early diagnosis of autism, as well as understand the GI symptoms associated with autism. All infant participants will receive early developmental assessments from study psychologists.

Eligibility Criteria

We are recruiting infants 0-6 months old who have a full-sibling diagnosed with autism.

Contact Information

To learn more about our study or to participate, please email our coordinator Emma at mghgemma@mgh.harvard.edu or call 617-643-6918

Research Study Website
Massachusetts General Hospital -- the GEMMA Study
Head to Research Study Website

More Research studies from this topic: Diagnosis

Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials
In-person participation required
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
In-person participation required
Generating Effectiveness Mechanisms in RUBI (GEMs in RUBI)
In-person participation required
Autism-relevant profiles in neurogenetic syndromes
Online web-based study
Multi-Site Validation Study of Eye Tracking-Based Measure of Autism Symptom Severity
In-person participation required
Intranasal Vasopressin Treatment in Children with Autism
In-person participation required
A treatment for SETD5 subtype of autism
Online web-based study
Center for Brain Disease Diagnosis at the NRI
Online web-based study In-person participation required
Neural basis of social cognition in youth with ASD and psychosis
In-person participation required
Neurodevelopmental Sleep Study
In-person participation required
San Diego State University Toddler MRI Project
In-person participation required
Autism Home Videos for Children
Online web-based study
Autism Intervention Research Network on Behavioral Health
Online web-based study
Simons Searchlight
Online web-based study
The Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials: Confirmation Study
In-person participation required
Predicting and Optimizing Language Outcomes in Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (POLO)
In-person participation required
Adolescent Communication of Emotion Study
In-person participation required
Social Motivation
In-person participation required
Pivotal Response Treatment for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
In-person participation required
Exploring Positive and Negative Dimensions in Autism Spectrum Disorders (EXPAND)
In-person participation required
MARBLES
In-person participation required
CHARGE
In-person participation required
Imaging Cognition and Neurodevelopment (ICAN)
In-person participation required
Infant-Caregiver Synchrony in Autism
In-person participation required
MRI Study for Prediction of ASD
In-person participation required
Walking and Talking in Autism
In-person participation required
SPARK: Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge
Online web-based study In-person participation required
3q29 Deletion and Duplication Syndrome Phenotypes
In-person participation required
RARE-X Data Collection Program
Online web-based study
BRIDGE Study (Brain Indicators of Developmental Growth)
In-person participation required
Cognitive Functioning in Children
Online web-based study
Multimodal investigation of emotional reactivity as a predictor of later psychopathology in infants at risk for ASD
In-person participation required
The Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials: Confirmation Study
In-person participation required
Pubertal, Psychosocial and Physiological Development in Females with Autism
In-person participation required
Investigating Depressive Symptomatology in Adolescents with ASD and ADHD
Online web-based study
Genetics of Autism in Latinx Ancestries
In-person participation required
Social Dynamics and Early Visual Experiences
In-person participation required
Characterizing Electroencephalogram (EEG) Index of Plasticity of the Social Brain in Autism Spectrum Disorder
In-person participation required
Social Cognition in Brain and Behavior
In-person participation required Online web-based study
Sensory Reactivity and Regulation Development
In-person participation required
Neural Mechanisms of Cognitive Inflexibility in Autism Spectrum Disorder
In-person participation required
The neuroanatomical basis for face processing deficits in autism spectrum disorder
In-person participation required
WATCH Motor Development Study: Advancing Screening Tools for ASD
In-person participation required
The Investigation of Genetics Exome Research (TIGER-3)
Online web-based study In-person participation required
A Pilot Study of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
In-person participation required
Research Studying Pimavanserin in Irritability Associated with Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder
In-person participation required
Mapping brain function in children with autism spectrum disorder with diffuse optical tomography
In-person participation required
Eye-tracking In-person Research
In-person participation required
Shape in Healthcare Study
Online web-based study
Generating Effectiveness Mechanism in RUBI (GEMs in RUBI)
In-person participation required
Sleep in Children with Autism
In-person participation required
Aging in Autism
In-person participation required
Camouflaging/masking among females on the autism spectrum
Online web-based study
Test Elevation
Online web-based study
Bilingualism in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Eye-Tracking Study
In-person participation required
Perceptions of Autism in a Digital Age
Online web-based study
The Experiences of Mothers Feeding Their Infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Online web-based study
The neural basis of third party social interaction perception in autism
In-person participation required
A pilot study of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for autonomic dysregulation in individuals with the developmental disabilities
In-person participation required
 Satisfaction with Social Support and Future Anxiety Among Hispanic Guardians of Children with Autism/Satisfacción con el Apoyo Social y Ansiedad Futura entre Tutores Hispanos de Niños con Trastorno de Espectro Autista
Online web-based study
Development of the M-CHAT-S, a school-age extension of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers
Online web-based study
Identification of Biomarkers in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using Protein and Metabolite Profiling
In-person participation required
TARGETING THE NEUROBIOLOGY OF RESTRICTED AND REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM USING N-ACETYLCYSTEINE: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL
In-person participation required
Perceptions of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Sociocultural Study
Online web-based study
Predicting Self-Care and Quality of Life in the Context of Parenting a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Online web-based study
Autistic women’s experiences of alexithymia: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Online web-based study
Characterizing sleep physiology in ASD: a home-based study
Online web-based study
Adult Autism Sensory Research – The Vanderbilt Sound Sensitivity Study
In-person participation required
The Impact of Hobbies on the Well-being of Autism in Adults
Online web-based study
Testing the Bottom-Up vs Top-Down Imbalance Hypothesis of ASD
In-person participation required
Generating Effectiveness Mechanisms in RUBI (GEMs in RUBI)
In-person participation required
Cognitive Aging in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Online web-based study