Neuroanatomical MRI Studies of Childhood Disorders

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目的长期目标是利用解剖磁共振成像（MRI）更好地了解儿童神经精神疾病的神经基础。这个特殊的应用程序将侧重于定义图雷特综合症（TS），强迫症（OCD）和注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的解剖学基础。620名儿童和成人的精确定义的皮质和皮质下区域的详细体积和形态学测量将在年龄和诊断组之间进行比较。将评估这些措施与免疫学、神经体液学、神经心理学和家族史数据以及其他行为指标的相关性。人工和自动图像分析方法将应用于改进的脑形态学评估。通过了解导致这些发育障碍的大脑结构紊乱以及它们如何在这些情况下引起相关的行为紊乱，我们将能够更好地评估和确定在发育中的神经系统背景下治疗干预的效果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term aim of this project is to use anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to understand better the neural basis of childhood neuropsychiatric disorders. This particular application will focus on defining the anatomical basis of Tourette's syndrome (TS), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Detailed volumetric and morphological measures of precisely defined cortical and subcortical regions in 620 children and adults will be compared across age and diagnostic groups. Correlates of these measures with immunological, neurohumoral, neuropsychological, and family history data, and with other behavioral indices, will be assessed. Both manual and automated image analysis methodologies will be applied for the improved assessment of brain morphology. By understanding the disturbances in cerebral architecture that undedie these developmental disorders and how they give rise to associated behavioral disturbances in these conditions, we will be better able to assess and to time the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in the context of the developing nervous system.