Repetitive Thinking and Emotional Health in Adults with ASD

项目总结/摘要 患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的成年人在一系列领域的结果往往很差，特别是 情绪健康反刍，或重复的消极思维，是ASD的认知特征， 似乎会导致抑郁和焦虑沉思与不良的情绪和身体有关 一般人群的健康。然而，由于固执是自闭症的核心特征， （RepT）在ASD内似乎是一个比一般反刍更广泛的结构。更好地理解 现象，机制和健康状况与RepT在自闭症可以确定新的，具体的， 目标，以指导ASD成年人的健康干预措施的发展。 我们的建议旨在描述ASD中的重复性思维，并为ASD的心理测量提供信息。 本人群（目标1）;探索ASD成人持续认知情感处理的神经相关性 使用瞳孔方法，与典型发展中抑郁成年人（TD-dep）进行比较（目标2）; 研究不同形式的RepT与ASD成年人的健康和行为之间的关系（目的3）。这 工作的目的是形成精确的假设，具体的RepT过程最影响， 对这一特殊人群的健康产生不良影响。目标1采用混合方法，包括：（1） 对与RepT相关的各种结构的调查数据进行结构分析（例如，沉思，忧虑，强迫症 想法，有限的兴趣）来识别重复性思维的常见模式（例如，原子价，功能， 侵入性），在大样本的语言流利的成人ASD，n=760在线+ n=72在实验室;和（2）实验室- 基于RepT的归纳，具有针对RepT特征编码的前/后语言样本。数据的日期及时间为 合成，以了解ASD中RepT的现象和测量。在目标2中， 将在诊断队列（ASD和TD-dep）和刺激之间比较瞳孔指数神经反应性 类型（社会，非社会，情感，非情感），并评估与RepT特征和其他 版主。这旨在阐明ASD中持续认知情感处理的模式，从而 将未来的研究细化为治疗开发的机械“切入点”。目标3：分析 不同形式的RepT与健康和功能差异相关的现有和新标记 自闭症的成年人。一个模型将被测试，其中负RepT预测不良的情绪和身体健康， 而正/中性RepT预测社交缺陷。该方案采用专家团队和多种方法 我们的目标是找出情绪健康问题的潜在干预目标， 在患有ASD的成年人中普遍存在并且大部分未得到治疗。如果成功，这也将结构化的经验数据 收集RepT，通过会聚生理标记推进对其机制的理解 （持续的瞳孔反应），并有助于将重复行为研究扩展到内部思维过程。

Project Summary/Abstract Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have poor outcomes across a range of domains, particularly emotional health. Rumination, or repetitive negative thinking, is a cognitive characteristic of ASD that also appears to contribute to depression and anxiety. Rumination is linked to both poor emotional and physical health in the general population. However, as perseveration is a core feature of autism, repetitive thinking (RepT) within ASD appears to be a broader construct than general rumination. Better understanding of the phenomenon, mechanisms, and health states associated with RepT in autism could determine novel, specific targets to guide development of health interventions for adults with ASD. Our proposal seeks to characterize repetitive thinking within ASD and inform its psychometric measurement in this population (Aim 1); explore neural correlates of sustained cognitive-affective processing in adults with ASD using pupil methods, with comparisons to typically developing depressed adults (TD-dep) (Aim 2); and investigate relations between diverse forms of RepT and health and behavior in adults with ASD (Aim 3). This work is intended to shape precision hypotheses as to which specific RepT processes most impact which adverse health outcomes in this special population. Aim 1 takes a mixed-method approach, including: (1) structural analyses of survey data on various constructs related to RepT (e.g., rumination, worry, obsessive thoughts, circumscribed interests) to identify common patterns of repetitive thinking (e.g., by valence, function, intrusiveness) in a large sample of verbally-fluent adults with ASD, n=760 online + n=72 in lab; and (2) lab- based inductions of RepT, with pre-/post language samples coded for RepT features. Findings will be synthesized to inform understanding of the phenomenon and measurement of RepT in ASD. In Aim 2, patterns of pupil-indexed neural reactivity will be compared across diagnostic cohorts (ASD and TD-dep) and stimuli types (social, non-social, emotional, non-emotional), and assessed for relation to RepT features and other moderators. This is intended to illuminate patterns of sustained cognitive-affective processing in ASD, and thus refine future research into mechanistic “points of entry” for treatment development. Aim 3 proposes to analyze both existing and novel markers of diverse forms of RepT for differential association with health and functioning in adults with ASD. A model will be tested in which negative RepT predicts poor emotional and physical health, whereas positive/neutral RepT predicts social deficits. This proposal applies an expert team and multi-method approach to the goal of identifying potential targets for intervention on emotional health problems, which are prevalent and largely untreated in adults with ASD. If successful, this also will structure empirical data collection on RepT, advance understanding of its mechanisms via a convergent physiological marker (sustained pupil responsivity), and help extend repetitive behavior research to internal thinking processes.