STRUCTURAL AND CHEMICAL BRAIN IMAGING OF AUTISM

整个UW ACE主题集中在风险，风险过程， 自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的症状出现和适应。根据这个模型，遗传 风险因素影响大脑发育，导致风险过程，即改变互动模式 儿童和他/她的环境之间的关系，这进一步促进了神经系统的异常发育。 电路和随后的行为。项目四有两个目标：（1）我们寻求确定早期表现， ASD的大脑发育异常：即大脑发育的变化影响ASD的风险。 ASD的发展。10个月大的婴儿兄弟姐妹患有自闭症，并比较无风险 婴儿，将使用磁共振成像（MRI）和磁共振光谱 磁共振成像（MRSI），以及脑测量和临床过程和症状发作之间的关系将是 考察通过生物风险标志物早期检测自闭症提供了症状前的希望 诊断，并最终，改善疾病的药物或行为干预，可以早期使用 在疾病过程中和症状前期。(2)我们计划研究儿童进入 青春期，以确定可能与癫痫发作有关的大脑发育变化， 青少年时期的行为衰退。我们将对13个样本进行MRI和MRSI研究- 患有ASD的14岁青少年，之前曾在3 - 4岁、6岁和9 - 10岁时接受过成像，以及 发育迟缓儿童和典型发育儿童的配对对照样本。本研究将 使我们能够了解大脑发育的变化与长期临床之间的关系， 结果，重点是青少年癫痫发作和认知能力下降。该项目直接针对目标 在NIH自闭症研究矩阵中概述，包括（1）确定生物风险指数， 婴儿孤独症和孤独症相关症状的发展，以及（2）发展时间进程 以自闭症患者大脑结构和连接的改变为特征。

The overall UW ACE theme centers on a comprehensive developmental model of risk, risk processes, symptom emergence, and adaptation in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to this model, genetic risk factors influence brain development which leads to risk processes, namely altered patterns of interaction between the child and his/her environment, which further contribute to the abnormal development of neural circuitry and subsequent behavior. Project IV has two aims: (1) We seek to identify early manifestations of abnormal brain development in ASD: that is, variations in brain development that influence risk for the development of ASD. Twelve-month old infant siblings of children with autism, and comparison non-risk infants, will be studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI), and relationships between brain measures and clinical course and symptom onset will be examined. Early detection of autism via biological risk markers offers the promise of presymptomatic diagnosis and, ultimately, of disease-modifying medications or behavioral intervention that can be used early in the disease process and during the presymptomatic period. (2) We plan to study children entering adolescence in order to identify brain developmental changes that may be related to onset seizure and behavioral decline during the adolescent period. We will conduct MRI and MRSI studies on a sample of 13- 14 yr old adolescents with ASD who have been previously imaged at 3-4 and 6 and 9-10 years of age, and matched comparison samples of children with developmental delay and typical development. This study will allow us to understand the relationship between variations in brain development and longer-term clinical outcome, focusing on adolescent seizure onset and cognitive decline. This project directly addresses goals outlined in the NIH Autism Research Matrix, including (1) identification of biological risk indices for the development of autism and autism-related symptoms in infants, and (2) developmental time course characterized for alterations in brain structures and connections in autism.