 Investigators
 ACE Current
Studies
Infants At Risk & Newly Diagnosed Toddlers
Categorization in Children & Adults With Autism
Emotion Processing
Language/fMRI
Associated Current Studies
Diffusion Tensor Tracking
Language Processing
Visual Processing
Cognitive Enhancement Therapy
Facial Recognition Intervention
CPEA Studies
Autism Treatment Network
National ACE Sites Past Fellowship
Grants
Autism Task Force Scientific Abstracts |
ACE CURRENT STUDIES
Project III: Systems
Connectivity and Brain Activation: Imaging Studies of Language and
Perception
Dr. Just -fMRI Study
Background Information
Several
recent neuroimaging studies have provided evidence of lower coordination
among brain areas in autism. This lower connectivity suggests that
communication between certain cortical areas is less effective,
influencing how the components of thinking are coordinated.
The underconnectivity theory enriches Dr. Minshew’s previous theory with
the new findings from fMRI, linking the information processing
abnormalities to the brain connectivity itself. Research will allow us
to characterize brain function in individuals with autism more
extensively than has previously been possible. This will further
develop the theory of underconnectivity in autism, providing greater
understanding of its origins and nature, leading to better diagnosis and
treatment abilities.
What We Want To Learn
We are
investigating the nature of cognitive and social difficulties associated
with autism such as reasoning, language comprehension and communication,
social understanding, and the distribution of mental resources in
complex situations. We are also interested in learning how the various
brain areas communicate and coordinate while performing tasks. This
particularly affects the synchronization or timing of activation
(connectivity) between frontal brain areas and more posterior brain
areas. Our studies will help us to further understand the neural
disorder underlying autism.
How We Do This
Participants will complete various tasks while in an fMRI machine, which
allows researchers to see how the subject’s brain is working during a
given task. Prior to the actual fMRI, the subject will participate in a
simulation fMRI. This simulation helps the participant feel
comfortable during the actual fMRI with the machine sounds and remaining
still. During the fMRI, the participant will be asked to complete
computer tasks using computer mice.
The tasks consist of visual input (words, pictures) and/or auditory
input (spoken words). Participants view a problem on the screen that
they must solve, such as deciding if a figure is possible or impossible
to construct in three dimensions. To investigate language
comprehension, the subject may be asked to make inferences regarding a
character’s motivations in stories. Social understanding is also
studied by asking participants to detect trustworthiness by looking at a
person’s face. To explore how people distribute their mental resources
in a complex situation, subjects might be asked to perform two tasks
simultaneously.
Preliminary findings
Our findings show that brain regions in
high-functioning individuals with autism do not communicate with each
other as effectively as those without autism, especially when they
perform complex tasks such as spatial reasoning and language
comprehension. The results on language processing have also shown that
individuals with high-functioning autism, when compared to those without
autism, are more likely to rely on brain regions that process
visualization, rather than communication. That means individuals with
autism “think in pictures”. By researching the nature of brain
activation and brain area coordination, we anticipate that cognitive
behavioral therapy may be created to develop better connections between
brain areas. In general, studies expect to produce an understanding of
autism that will provide new insights for therapy and for facilitating
daily functioning.
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