The neural underpinnings of speech and nonspeech auditory processing in autism: Implications for language

自闭症患者言语和非言语听觉处理的神经基础：对语言的影响

• 批准号: 10827051
• 负责人: Hannah Thomas
• 金额: $ 4.77万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-07 至 2026-01-06
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10827051
• 关键词: Address; Adult; Age; Anatomy; Auditory; Behavioral; Categories; Clinical; Cognitive; Collaborations; Communication; Communities; Community Outreach; Connecticut; Dedications; Development; Discrimination; Early Intervention; Education; Educational workshop; Electrophysiology (science); Environment; Feedback; Fellowship; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Funding; Goals; Grant; Impairment; Individual; Institution; Intervention; Knowledge; Language; Language Delays; Language Development; Learning; Linguistics; Manuscripts; Mediating; Mentorship; Methodology; Motivation; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Pattern; Perception; Performance; Phonetics; Population; Process; Property; Reporting; Research; Research Activity; Research Personnel; Research Priority; Research Project Grants; Research Proposals; Resources; Role; Science; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sensory; Social Functioning; Speech; Speech Discrimination; Stimulus; Symptoms; Techniques; Testing; Training; United States National Institutes of Health; Universities; Work; adult with autism spectrum disorder; auditory categorization; auditory discrimination; auditory processing; autism spectrum disorder; autistic; behavioral study; brain behavior; cognitive neuroscience; community setting; comparative; design; early experience; experience; functional outcomes; habituation; improved; innovation; interest; language impairment; language outcome; neural; neural circuit; neuroimaging; neuromechanism; novel; peer; phonology; pre-doctoral; preference; programs; psychologic; repetitive behavior; response; responsible research conduct; skills; social; social attention; social influence; speech processing; statistics; symposium; theories; training project; word learning

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impairments in social functioning and the presence of restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests, including atypical sensory response patterns. In addition to these core features, language abilities are one of the most clinically important and heterogeneous features of autism. Language impairment is one of the earliest noted symptoms, associated with functional outcomes, and less responsive to treatment than other behavioral domains. Critically, it remains unclear what contributes to these variable language trajectories; competing theoretical frameworks propose either low-level perceptual or higher-order social influences. Though evidence suggests atypical auditory processing at the neural level as a potential mechanism disrupting language in autism, no prior work to date has systematically examined these brain-behavior relationships. The current project will test theoretically driven hypotheses using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to clarify the neural features of speech and nonspeech auditory discrimination in autism and probe for relationships with language; results have the potential to inform language interventions in autism. Fifty adults (25 autistic, 25 neurotypical; NT) will complete a repetition suppression fMRI design to achieve three Specific Aims: (1) Contrast behavioral performance and neural processing of nonspeech tone discrimination in autism vs NT; (2) Contrast behavioral performance and neural processing of speech discrimination in autism vs NT; and (3) Examine the predictive role of neural features and the mediating role of behavioral discrimination abilities for language skills. The proposed research addresses one of NIDCD’s top research priorities of characterizing the neural circuits involved in sensory processing that contribute to communication deficits; the study has the long-term potential to improve language outcomes in autism. Training Plan: The individually tailored training plan dovetails with research activities and includes methodological training in neuroimaging and statistics; conceptual education in language, autism, cognitive neuroscience, and the responsible conduct of research; and professional development in scientific and community settings. Proposed activities include coursework, interdisciplinary mentorship, methodological workshops, professional seminars, community outreach activities, conference presentations, and manuscript development. Environment: The applicant’s mentorship team has a proven record of NIH funding, including collaborations between them. The University of Connecticut is a Carnegie Research I public institution and the Department of Psychological Sciences is ranked in the top 10 for U.S. grant funding. UConn boasts a large community of interdisciplinary researchers within the language sciences and houses a research-dedicated neuroimaging center that prioritizes supporting and training graduate-level researchers. The applicant is ideally situated to accomplish the current fellowship proposal.

项目概要/摘要 自闭症谱系障碍是一种神经发育疾病，其特征是社交障碍 功能和受限或重复的行为或兴趣的存在，包括非典型的感官 除了这些核心特征之外，语言能力是临床上最重要的特征之一。 自闭症的异质特征是最早注意到的症状之一， 与功能结果相关，并且与其他行为领域相比对治疗的反应较差。 至关重要的是，目前尚不清楚是什么导致了这些可变的语言竞争理论。 尽管有证据表明，框架提出了低层次的感知影响或高层次的社会影响。 神经水平上的非典型听觉处理是扰乱自闭症语言的潜在机制，没有 迄今为止的先前工作已经系统地研究了这些大脑行为关系，当前的项目将进行测试。 使用功能磁共振成像 (fMRI) 的理论驱动假设来阐明神经元 自闭症言语和非言语听觉辨别的特征及其与语言的关系探讨； 结果有可能为 50 名成人（25 名自闭症患者、25 名神经正常患者； NT）将完成重复抑制功能磁共振成像设计，以实现三个具体目标：（1）对比行为 自闭症与 NT 的非言语语气辨别的表现和神经处理（2）对比行为； 自闭症与 NT 言语辨别的表现和神经处理；以及 (3) 检查预测性 神经特征的作用和行为辨别能力对语言技能的中介作用。 拟议的研究涉及 NIDCD 的首要研究重点之一：表征神经回路 参与导致沟通缺陷的感觉处理；该研究具有长期潜力； 改善自闭症的语言效果训练计划：个性化定制的训练计划与自闭症相吻合。 研究活动，包括神经影像学和统计学的方法培训； 语言、自闭症、认知神经科学以及负责任的研究和专业行为； 拟议的活动包括课程作业、跨学科活动。 指导、方法讲习班、专业研讨会、社区外展活动、会议 演示和稿件开发环境：申请人的指导团队拥有经过验证的能力。 NIH 的资助记录，包括它们之间的合作康涅狄格大学是卡内基大学。 Research I公立机构和心理科学系位列全美前10名 康涅狄格大学在语言科学领域拥有庞大的跨学科研究人员群体。 并设有一个专门研究的神经影像中心，优先支持和培训研究生水平 研究人员非常适合完成当前的奖学金申请。