SENSORIMOTOR INTEGRATION IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

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Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by pervasive and persistent deficits spanning multiple domains, with a highly heterogeneous cognitive profile that is remarkable for spared or supranormal abilities coexisting with dramatic impairments in cognitive domains such as attention and language. In addition, autism is characterized by large inter-individual differences in IQ, linguistic abilities, and attentional abilities and its neural bases are poorly understood. While the behavioral deficits in social cognition have received vigorous attention, less is known about the mechanisms responsible for the disorders of action planning and execution seen in most individuals with autism. Behavioral and neuroanatomical evidence indicates that motor and cognitive development are intrinsically related. It is known that motor deficits are observed in a variety of developmental disorders of cognition, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Damage to brain structures that subserve motor functions, such as cerebellum and striatum, also leads to disruptions of higher cognitive functions. These motor control structures are not only closely linked anatomically to prefrontal cortex, the seat of higher cognition, but also develop in parallel with prefrontal cortex. Therefore, examination of motor control may elucidate cognitive dysfunction in autism. In the present proposal we take a cognitive neuroscience analytic approach to autism by focusing on the "building blocks" of action and cognition, that is, the core component processes instrumental in exercising cognitive control that can be operationally defined in terms of behavior and neurobiology. The component processes that subserve control of action include visuomotor integration, response inhibition, and resolution of response competition. These components are essential for all higher functions, be they cognitive or social. The primary goal of this project is to use structural and functional MRI procedures to elucidate the neurobiological basis of visual motion processing, sensorimotor integration, and executive function in children ages 7-12 with autism.