Biological and Information Processing Mechanisms Underlying Autism

自闭症背后的生物和信息处理机制

• 批准号: 7933194
• 负责人: NANCY J MINSHEW
• 金额: $ 40.07万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-30 至 2011-09-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7933194
• 关键词: Biological; Information; Processing; Mechanisms; Underlying

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This center focuses on elucidating fundamental information processing and neurobiological mechanisms causing autism. It incorporates 5 themes: 1) autism as a disorder of complex information processing abilities WITH intact or enhanced basic abilities; 2) autism as a disturbance in cerebral connectivity with under connectivity of long-distance connections and over-connectivity of compensatory local connections; 3) autism as a developmental disorder whose brain-behavioral manifestations change with each stage of brain maturation from childhood to adulthood; 4) that the pathognomonic social impairments are best understood in terms of underlying information processing mechanisms; and 5) that emotional and affective impairments are a major component of the syndrome and significant contributor to impaired function and serious behavior issues. These goals will be addressed using behavioral, cognitive, fMRI, DTI, DTT, and neuropathologic studies of: infant siblings, first-diagnosed toddlers with autism, and groups of children, adolescents, and adults with and without autism. Project I: Development of Categorization & Facial Knowledge in Low & High Functioning Autism; Project II: Disturbances of Affective Contact: Development of Brain Mechanisms for Emotion Processing; Project III: Systems Connectivity & Brain Activation: Imaging Studies of Language & Perception; Project IV: Diffusion Tensor MRI & Histopathology of Brain Microstructure & Fiber Pathways. Project I focuses on understanding the earliest manifestations of autism and the development of earlier diagnostic tools; it also focuses on information processing mechanisms underlying social and cognitive symptoms. Project II focuses on elucidating emotion processing mechanisms and the maturational disturbances from childhood through adulthood; these studies will clarify how individuals with autism experience, understand and regulate emotion, and will also examine their self-awareness of emotion. Genetic modifiers of emotionality will also be determined. Project III focuses on understanding disturbances in functional brain connectivity that underlie the impaired processing of information and in turn the cognitive and behavioral impairments in autism. The project also includes innovative machine-learning studies of how the brain identifies and categorizes words and computational modeling of cortical function. Project IV looks at structural connectivity of specific white matter pathways and the histopathology of intra-cortical white matter projections. This project will help reconcile the functional under-connectivity and early structural overgrowth in autism. The identification of fundamental information processing mechanisms underlying the behavior of autism will lead to the development of more specific and effective interventions; similarly identification of connectivity alterations can lead to targeted cognitive interventions that increase neural connectivity. This research addresses Autism Research Matrix goals # 1,2,3,6,16,17,19,22,23,26,31,and 34.

描述（由申请人提供）：该中心着重于阐明基本信息处理和导致自闭症的神经生物学机制。它包含5个主题：1）自闭症是具有完整或增强基本能力的复杂信息处理能力的障碍； 2）自闭症作为脑连通性的干扰，在长距离连接的连通性和补偿性局部连接的过度连接下； 3）自闭症作为一种发育障碍，其大脑行为表现随着童年到成年的每个阶段而变化； 4）最好从潜在的信息处理机制来理解病理学的社会障碍； 5）情感和情感障碍是综合征的主要组成部分，是功能受损和严重行为问题的重要贡献。这些目标将使用行为，认知，fMRI，DTI，DTT和神经病理学研究来解决：婴儿兄弟姐妹，患有自闭症的初次诊断幼儿，以及一群儿童，青少年和成年人，以及有和没有自闭症的成年人。项目I：低功能自闭症的分类和面部知识的发展；项目II：情感接触的干扰：发展情绪处理的大脑机制；项目III：系统连通性和大脑激活：语言与感知的成像研究；项目IV：脑微结构和纤维途径的扩散张量MRI和组织病理学。项目我专注于理解自闭症的最早表现以及早期诊断工具的开发；它还侧重于社会和认知症状的基础信息处理机制。第二次项目的重点是阐明情绪处理机制以及从童年到成年的成熟干扰；这些研究将阐明自闭症经验，理解和调节情绪的人如何检查他们对情感的自我意识。情绪的遗传修饰符也将得到确定。项目III专注于理解功能性大脑连通性的干扰，这是信息处理受损以及自闭症的认知和行为障碍的基础。该项目还包括有关大脑如何识别和分类皮质功能的单词和计算建模的创新机器学习研究。 IV项目着眼于特定白质途径的结构连通性和皮质内白质投影的组织病理学。该项目将有助于调和自闭症的功能不足和早期结构过度生长。自闭症行为行为为基础的基本信息处理机制的识别将导致开发更具体和有效的干预措施；类似地识别连通性改变可以导致靶向认知干预措施，从而增加神经连通性。这项研究涉及自闭症研究矩阵目标＃1,2,3,6,16,17,19,22,22,23,26,31和34。