Functional Neuroimaging of Psychopharmacologic Intervention for Autism

描述(由申请人提供)：这是一份以患者为导向的研究事业发展奖的申请表。应聘者之前接受过临床心理学家和神经成像博士后的培训，这使他在自闭症谱系障碍的症状表现和功能磁共振成像(FMRI)技术方面的临床知识方面积累了专业知识。候选人提出了一个培训和研究计划，目标是整合：i)功能磁共振成像(FMRI)在干预研究中的应用，2)自闭症受限和重复行为和执行功能的评估，以及3)自闭症治疗结果研究，包括治疗研究设计、治疗反应的潜在脑机制和结果评估。为了建立一个高效和独立的自闭症调查员的职业生涯，专门使用功能磁共振成像来评估自闭症治疗的假定作用机制，申请人正在寻求支持，以获得上述学科的培训，这一申请的框架是，自闭症的症状领域是由神经认知过程调节的，可以通过有针对性的精神药理治疗来改善，并可以通过功能磁共振成像进行评估。在此奖项申请中概述的培训的基础上，候选人将使用功能磁共振成像来研究神经认知过程之间的神经生物学联系，这些过程中介症状表达，并在高功能自闭症成年人中由西酞普兰诱导特定领域的症状减轻。这项研究将扩展申请人之前的功能磁共振研究，并将是指导研究计划的第一步，目的是探索自闭症症状表达的神经基础，并通过有针对性的治疗减少症状。这项应用具有创新性，因为它将是第一个同时检查自闭症治疗反应的神经、症状和神经心理学特征的应用程序。公共卫生相关性：脑成像技术允许对神经发育障碍以及治疗如何改善症状进行非侵入性调查。这项研究试图使用大脑功能的测量来帮助理解有效的干预如何减少自闭症谱系障碍患者的症状。这项研究的结果可能会导致未来的研究，旨在开发更好的干预措施，最终目标是减少神经发育障碍患者的痛苦。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application for a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award. The candidate's prior training as a clinical psychologist and as a neuroimaging postdoctoral fellow has allowed him to develop expertise in clinical knowledge of symptom expression in autism spectrum disorders and the technical aspects of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The candidate proposes a program of training and research with the goal of integrating: i) Applications of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for intervention research, 2) Assessment of restricted and repetitive behaviors and executive function in autism, and 3) Autism treatment outcome research, including treatment study design, potential brain mechanisms of treatment response, and outcome assessment. To establish a career as a productive and independent autism investigator with a specialty in the use of fMRI to evaluate the putative mechanisms of action of autism treatments, the applicant is seeking support to obtain training in the disciplines listed above, The framework of this application is that symptom domains in autism are mediated by neurocognitive processes that may be ameliorated with targeted psychopharmacologic treatments and that may be assessed via fMRI. Building upon the training outlined in this award application, the candidate will use fMRI to investigate neurobiological links between neurocognitive processes mediating symptom expression and domain-specific symptom reductions induced by citalopram in high-functioning adults with autism. This study will extend the applicant's prior fMRI research and will represent an initial step in a program of mentored research with the goal of exploring the neural basis of autism symptom expression and their reduction via targeted treatments. This application is innovative because it would be the first to examine concurrently the neural, symptomatic, and neuropsychological profiles of treatment response in autism. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Brain imaging techniques allow for non-invasive investigations of neurodevelopmental disorders and how treatments may ameliorate symptoms. This study seeks to use measures of brain functioning to help understand how an effective intervention reduces symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The findings of the study may lead to future research aimed at developing better interventions with the ultimate goal of reducing suffering for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.