Vagal Tone and Social Behaviors in Autism

自闭症迷走神经张力和社会行为

• 批准号: 6857568
• 负责人: STEPHEN J SHEINKOPF
• 金额: $ 6.75万
• 依托单位: EMMA PENDLETON BRADLEY HOSPITAL
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-08-01 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6857568
• 关键词: attention; autism; behavioral /social science research tag; clinical research; communication behavior; electrocardiography; heart rate; human subject; mental retardation; middle childhood (6-11); preschool child (1-5); social behavior

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This study will investigate whether children with autism differ from non-autistic children on measures of vagal tone. Vagal tone is a measure of respiratory sinus arhythmia. This variability in heart rate is controlled by regions of the brainstem via connections within the tenth cranial nerve (the vagus). Vagal tone is thought to reflect a fundamental part of the human social engagement system. High vagal tone is thought to reflect a readiness to engage with the environment. In addition, changes in vagal tone in response to environmental events indicate the child's attention and or reactivity to these events. This study seeks to better understand the biological bases of autism by examining vagal tone in young children with Autistic Disorder. Past research on cardiac responses in children with autism has not examined vagal tone. Previous research has examined other heart rate measures in autism, but has not contrasted children's reactions to social and nonsocial events. Nor has past research examined relations between cardiac measures and measures of core deficit areas in autism, such as joint attention deficits. In this study, children with autism and a comparison sample will be observed in an experiment that will vary the type of social stimulation in specific ways. The behavioral assay will involve conditions that vary with respect to whether stimuli are social or physical in nature, and whether the events are intrusive or non-intrusive. A central goal for this B-START application will be to refine and calibrate this behavioral assay, as well as to provide an initial test of differences in vagal tone during these conditions. Joint attention behaviors will also be measured. Statistical analyses will test (1) whether children with autism will differ in baseline vagal tone, (2) whether they will differ in the way that vagal tone changes in response to social events, and (3) whether vagal tone is related to joint attention behaviors. This study may provide information on the biological basis of the social deficits in autism and may also help develop methods that can be used to study autism in infancy.

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究将调查自闭症儿童在迷走神经措施方面是否与非自主儿童不同。迷走神经是呼吸窦性心律失常的量度。心率的这种差异是由第十颅神经内的连接（迷走神经）内部连接控制的。人们认为迷走语的语调反映了人类社会参与系统的基本组成部分。人们认为高迷走语的语调反映了准备与环境互动的准备。此外，对环境事件的响应，迷走神经的变化表明孩子对这些事件的注意力和 /或反应性。这项研究旨在通过检查自闭症疾病的幼儿迷走神经张力来更好地了解自闭症的生物学基础。过去对自闭症儿童心脏反应的研究没有检查迷走神经态。先前的研究检查了自闭症的其他心率测量，但没有与儿童对社会和非社会事件的反应进行对比。过去的研究也没有研究过自闭症中核心赤字领域的心脏测量与措施之间的关系，例如联合注意力缺陷。在这项研究中，将在一个实验中观察到自闭症和比较样本的儿童，该实验将以特定方式改变社交刺激的类型。行为测定法将涉及与刺激是社会或物理性质以及事件是侵入性还是无侵入性的条件不同的条件。该B启动应用程序的一个核心目标是完善和校准此行为测定，并在这些条件下对迷走神经的差异进行初始测试。联合注意行为也将被衡量。统计分析将测试（1）自闭症儿童的基线迷走神经语调是否会有所不同，（2）它们是否会在对社交事件的响应中的迷走神经变化的方式上有所不同，以及（3）迷走神经语调是否与关节注意行为有关。这项研究可能会提供有关自闭症社会缺陷的生物学基础的信息，还可以帮助开发可用于研究自闭症的方法。

项目成果

Parasympathetic response profiles related to social functioning in young children with autistic disorder.

副交感神经反应概况与自闭症幼儿的社会功能相关。

• DOI: 10.1155/2013/868396
• 发表时间: 2013
• 期刊: Autism research and treatment
• 作者: Sheinkopf,StephenJ;Neal-Beevers,ARebecca;Levine,ToddP;Miller-Loncar,Cynthia;Lester,Barry
• 通讯作者: Lester,Barry

Hot topics in autism: cognitive deficits, cognitive style, and joint attention dysfunction.

自闭症的热门话题：认知缺陷、认知风格和联合注意力功能障碍。

• 发表时间: 2005
• 期刊: Medicine and health, Rhode Island.
• 作者: Sheinkopf,StephenJ