MENTAL RETARDATION RESEARCH CENTER, NEUROIMAGING CORE (MRRC)

精神发育迟滞研究中心，神经影像核心 (MRRC)

• 批准号: 7420413
• 负责人: MARTHA BRIDGE DENCKLA
• 金额: $ 7.04万
• 依托单位: HUGO W. MOSER RES INST KENNEDY KRIEGER
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7420413
• 关键词: children; mental retardation

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The general goal of Dr. Denckla's research is to understand better the origins of learning disabilities and, based on this information, design approaches for interventional skills. A main part of the research concerns the study of cognitive/information processing and/or neurophysiological and behavioral factors. As such, quantitative neuroimaging is a main interest for this collaborator. There are several aspects to this research for which collaboration with the resource is extremely important. First of all, a large fraction of the subjects for Dr. Denckla's research are children, which require a special environment to feel comfortable to participate in the scanning. The magnets in the Kirby Center (Philips Gyroscan ACS-NT) are unique in that they have the shortest bore available of all 1.5T and 3 T scanners. The bore is accessible from the back and the front and allows the child to keep eye contact with its care giver. This child-friendly environment for MR imaging is expected to drastically reduce the requirements for sedation because the child is more at ease. The Kirby Center also contains a mock scanner in which the children or other subjects can be trained to hold still and perform tasks in the magnet. Together with the child psychologists at Kennedy Krieger, Dr. Denckla and the Resource staff will work on optimizing the imaging of non-sedated children. The latter is important because it is expected that functional testing of these children can provide much needed information on their behavior in a quantitative reproducible manner. Dr. Denckla's research relates to all of the development projects proposed in this resource application. The design of flow and oxygenation methods and techniques for improved image registration and processing in Project 1 is relevant to establish quantitative fMRI results that can be used as baseline while following developmental changes in children. The spectroscopy tools in project 2 will be used to determine levels of neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals with respect to normal children. Although we are presently performing such studies in sedated sick children for several disorders (see other collaboration and Service Projects), these lengthy spectroscopy studies also need normal references. Sedation of normals is not permitted under present hospital rules and the design of a fast spectroscopic imaging protocol is crucial for this. Aim 1 in Project 3 will, for the first time, provide the possibility to compare the wiring in the brains of children with developmental d isorders to that of normal children. Several protocols need to be developed and tested, especially for the study of awake normals. The new methods being developed in project 4 will be crucial in establishing shapes of brain regions and in combining the results of all different MRI and MRS methodologies in general maps that will be assessed as a function of developmental stage.

该子项目是利用 NIH/NCRR 资助的中心拨款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者 (PI) 可能已从另一个 NIH 来源获得主要资金，因此可以在其他 CRISP 条目中得到体现。列出的机构是中心的机构，不一定是研究者的机构。 Denckla 博士研究的总体目标是更好地了解学习障碍的根源，并根据这些信息设计干预技能的方法。该研究的主要部分涉及认知/信息处理和/或神经生理和行为因素的研究。因此，定量神经影像是该合作者的主要兴趣。这项研究有几个方面与资源的合作极其重要。首先，Denckla博士的研究对象很大一部分是儿童，他们需要特殊的环境才能舒适地参与扫描。 Kirby Center（飞利浦 Gyroscan ACS-NT）中的磁铁是独一无二的，因为它们具有所有 1.5T 和 3 T 扫描仪中最短的孔径。该孔可从后面和前面进入，并允许孩子与其看护者保持目光接触。这种适合儿童的 MR 成像环境预计将大大减少镇静的需求，因为孩子会更加放松。卡比中心还包含一个模拟扫描仪，可以训练儿童或其他受试者在磁铁中保持静止并执行任务。 Denckla 博士和资源人员将与 Kennedy Krieger 的儿童心理学家一起致力于优化未服用镇静剂的儿童的成像。后者很重要，因为预计这些儿童的功能测试可以以定量可重复的方式提供有关他们行为的急需信息。 Denckla 博士的研究涉及本资源申请中提出的所有开发项目。项目 1 中用于改进图像配准和处理的流量和氧合方法和技术的设计与建立定量 fMRI 结果相关，该结果可在跟踪儿童发育变化时用作基线。项目 2 中的光谱工具将用于确定正常儿童的神经递质和其他大脑化学物质的水平。尽管我们目前正在针对几种疾病对服用镇静剂的病童进行此类研究（请参阅其他合作和服务项目），但这些冗长的光谱研究也需要正常参考。根据目前的医院规定，不允许对正常人进行镇静，为此快速光谱成像方案的设计至关重要。项目 3 中的目标 1 将首次提供比较发育障碍儿童与正常儿童大脑接线的可能性。需要开发和测试几个协议，特别是对于清醒正常状态的研究。项目 4 中开发的新方法对于建立大脑区域的形状以及将所有不同 MRI 和 MRS 方法的结果结合到一般图谱中至关重要，这些图谱将根据发育阶段的函数进行评估。