Divergence and Variability of Language Maps in Autism

自闭症语言图谱的分歧和变异

• 批准号: 6654977
• 负责人: Ralph-Axel Mueller
• 金额: $ 26.94万
• 依托单位: SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6654977
• 关键词: Asperger syndrome; autism; behavior test; brain mapping; clinical research; functional magnetic resonance imaging; gender difference; human subject; language; neural plasticity; neuroimaging; neuropathology; neuropsychological tests; neuropsychology; phonology; semantics; vocabulary

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite a general consensus that autism has biological causes, the specific links between brain loci of abnormality and cognitive-behavioral impairments remain unknown. Functional neuroimaging studies do not provide a clear picture, possibly due to etiological heterogeneity of autism samples. We will explore potential abnormalities of functional brain organization in autism with specific focus on individual variability, using functional MRI (fMRI) -- an imaging technique with sufficient power for individual analyses. Thirty verbal individuals with autism, 24 subjects with Asperger syndrome (AS), and age, gender, and handedness-matched controls will be studied. Our project will focus on language -- a domain which not only differentiates autism and AS in terms of delay and deficit, but is also characterized by a wide spectrum of abilities within the adult autistic population. FMRI will be performed during auditory and phonological discrimination, and lexical semantic association. Several complementary data analysis paths (groupwise and intraindividually; in normalized and native space) will enable us: (i) to identify consistent abnormalities of functional maps for autism and AS groups; (ii) to quantify activation foci in each subject in terms of spatial divergence from normal and individual variability within patient groups; (iii) to relate varying patterns of abnormal functional maps with measures of language skill; and (iv) to distinguish effects of pathological disturbance of functional maps from those of compensatory plasticity. We will test hypotheses, according to which in autism (and to a lesser extent in AS) pathological disturbance of neural differentiation and impoverished interactive language experience during critical developmental periods result in aberrant neurofunctional maps and abnormally pronounced individual variability. Language delay in autism is further hypothesized to be associated with atypical hemispheric dominance for language. Finally, we expect that individually variable patterns of abnormal functional maps will be correlated with level of language outcome. Identifying such links between brain maps and level of functioning achieved in adults will elucidate the significance of individual variation in autism in terms of different pathways of etiology and abnormal development.

描述（由申请人提供）：尽管一般共识自闭症 具有生物学原因，这是异常脑基因座之间的特定联系和 认知行为障碍仍然未知。功能性神经影像学 研究没有提供清晰的图片，可能是由于病因 自闭症样本的异质性。我们将探索潜在的异常 自闭症中的功能性脑组织，特别关注个人 可变性，使用功能性MRI（fMRI） - 具有带有的成像技术 足够的单个分析功率。三十个口头的人 自闭症，24名患有阿斯伯格综合征（AS）的受试者，年龄，性别和 将研究手动匹配的控件。我们的项目将集中在语言上 - 一个不仅区分自闭症和延迟和延迟和的领域 赤字，但也以广泛的能力为特征 成人自闭症人群。 fMRI将在听觉期间进行 语音歧视和词汇语义关联。一些 互补的数据分析路径（分组和内部； 标准化和本地空间）将使我们：（i）确定一致的 自闭症和作为组的功能图异常； （ii）量化 每个受试者的激活灶就正常和正常和 患者群体内的个体变异性； （iii）关联不同模式 具有语言技能量度的功能图异常图；和（iv）到 区分功能图的病理干扰的影响和 补偿性可塑性。我们将检验假设，根据 自闭症（在较小程度上）神经病理学障碍 差异化和贫穷的互动语言经验 关键的发育时期导致神经功能的异常图和 异常明显的个人变异性。自闭症的语言延迟是 进一步假设与非典型半球优势有关 语言。最后，我们期望异常的单独可变模式 功能图将与语言结果水平相关。识别 大脑图与成人达到的功能水平之间的这种联系将 以 病因和异常发育的不同途径。