Neuroimaging Studies of FAS Children in South Africa

描述(由申请人提供)： 这项研究将主要在南非开普敦的开普敦大学和格鲁特·舒尔医院(GSH)与桑德拉·W·雅各布森博士合作进行，作为NIH拨款U01 AAO14790的延伸。总体目标是将两种新的磁共振成像(MRI)技术--功能磁共振成像和扩散张量成像(DTI)--引入南非，并将其应用于评估被诊断为胎儿酒精综合征(FAS)和可能患有Fas的儿童。最近的研究记录了开普省有色人种(混合血统)人群中胎儿酒精综合症(FAS)的异常高发病率。雅各布森博士在开普敦和底特律的研究发现，算术和执行功能的特定方面可能是胎儿酒精谱系障碍(FASD)的核心缺陷，可以使用磁共振技术进行检查。到目前为止，Fas和FASD通常还没有用功能磁共振成像或DTI进行检查。GSH目前运营着一台1.5T磁共振扫描仪，但南非没有任何地点有能力进行功能磁共振成像或DTI。 Ernesta Meintjes博士是该项目的外国合作者，他是一位受过磁共振成像培训的物理学家。约翰·C·戈尔博士在使用功能磁共振检查儿童信息处理方面是一位在国际上受人尊敬的领导者。其具体目标是(1)培训Meintjes博士在范德比尔特大学戈尔博士的实验室管理功能磁共振成像和DTI；(2)购买和安装在GSH管理这些方法所需的必要软件和硬件，并培训放射技师熟练使用这些方法；以及(3)对15名Fas、15名可能的Fas和15名配对的对照组儿童进行试点研究，以检查大脑形态、神经网络的功能激活和白质束完整性的差异。选择在功能磁共振成像评估中使用的认知任务和在扫描仪外进行的神经心理测试是为了提高我们对FASD核心缺陷的理解。将产生的信息有可能改善胎儿酒精诊断，促进对受影响儿童的早期识别，并为设计更早、更有针对性的干预措施提供基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This research will be conducted primarily at University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) in Cape Town, South Africa, in collaboration with Sandra W. Jacobson, Ph.D., as an extension of NIH grant U01 AAO14790. The overall aim is to introduce two new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies- functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-to South Africa and to apply them to evaluate children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and possible FAS. Recent studies have documented an exceptionally high incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the Cape Coloured (mixed ancestry) population. Dr. Jacobson's research in Cape Town and Detroit has identified specific aspects of arithmetic and executive function that may be core deficits of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which could be examined using MR technologies. To date FAS and FASD generally have not been examined using fMRI or DTI. GSH currently operates a 1.5T MR scanner, but no sites in South Africa have the capacity to conduct fMRI or DTI. Ernesta Meintjes, Ph.D., the foreign collaborator for this project, is a physicist trained in MR imaging. John C. Gore, Ph.D., is an internationally respected leader in the use of fMRI to examine information processing in children. The specific aims are to (1) train Dr. Meintjes to administer fMRI and DTI in Dr. Gore's laboratory at Vanderbilt University; (2) purchase and install the necessary software and hardware needed to administer these methodologies at GSH and train the radiographers to become proficient in their use; and (3) conduct a pilot study with 15 FAS, 15 possible FAS, and 15 matched control children to examine differences in brain morphology, functional activation of neural networks, and the integrity of white matter tracts. The cognitive tasks to be used in the fMRI assessment and neuropsychological tests to be performed outside the scanner have been selected to improve our understanding of the core deficits of FASD. The information to be generated has the potential to improve fetal alcohol diagnosis, facilitate earlier identification of affected children, and provide the basis to design earlier, more targeted interventions.