Brain Imaging Markers of Response to Intervention in Toddlers with Autism

描述(由申请人提供)：这位拟议的指导式研究科学家CDA(K01)寻求支持，以促进一项独立的研究事业，将自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)儿童的脑发育研究与早期干预研究联系起来。发育中的大脑具有高度的可塑性，利用这一特性的干预措施具有很大的可塑性。 我保证。然而，对干预的反应是可变的，取决于个体差异，这一问题因ASD的异质性而变得更加复杂。将传统上分开的干预和神经行为研究联系起来，有可能帮助实现干预的最优化个体化。短期内，候选人的职业目标包括识别行为结果和治疗反应的早期大脑行为标记物。从长远来看，候选人计划利用这些信息来制定有针对性的早期干预措施。应聘者接受过特殊教育、行为分析和发展神经科学方面的培训。为了实现开发神经行为知情干预措施的目标，候选人将参加干预科学方面的新的和全面的培训，重点是自闭症的早期干预，结构脑成像分析的新培训，以及额外的统计和方法培训。支持这些内容领域的活动包括实践培训、课程作业、期刊俱乐部和定向阅读、专业会议和机构参与，以及专业发展研讨会，培训的最终结果是准备R01赠款。这位候选人还将研究大脑成像预测因素：1)患有自闭症的蹒跚学步儿童的联合注意力；2)联合注意力干预的反应。在第一项研究中，候选人将在现有的ASD幼儿纵向样本中检查联合注意力的同步和预测性成像标记。在第二项研究中，候选人将收集约45名患有自闭症的幼儿的治疗前成像数据，这些儿童参加了一项由基金资助的随机对照试验，进行联合注意力干预，以确定维度结果的神经介体，并对高反应者和低反应者之间的差异进行探索性分析。北卡罗来纳大学是自闭症研究的活跃中心。初级导师约瑟夫·皮文博士是ASD神经生物学领域的领先专家，具有指导初级科学家的丰富经验。他是卡罗莱纳发育障碍研究所(CIDD)的主任，也是ACE网络婴儿脑成像研究的PI。共同导师塞缪尔·奥多姆博士在ASD的早期干预方面是一位成就卓著的专家。他是弗兰克·波特·格雷厄姆儿童发展研究所的主任，也是许多早期干预研究的负责人。北卡罗来纳大学拥有世界一流的成像设备和专家，包括共同导师、结构图像分析专家、神经图像研究和分析实验室以及CIDD发展神经成像核心的联席主任Martin Styner博士。总而言之，这个导师团队非常有资格在连接大脑、行为和干预的开发活动中为应聘者提供培训、指导和监督。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposed Mentored Research Scientist CDA (K01) seeks support to foster an independent research career bridging the study of brain development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to that of early intervention. The developing brain is highly malleable, and interventions which capitalize on this quality hold great promise. However, response to intervention is variable and dependent on individual differences, an issue compounded by ASD heterogeneity. Linking traditionally separate lines of intervention and neurobehavioral research has the potential to aid efforts to optimally individualize intervention. In the short term, the candidate's career goals include identifying early brain-behavior markers of behavioral outcomes and treatment response. In the longer term, the candidate plans to leverage this information to develop targeted early interventions. The candidate is trained in special education, behavior analysis, and developmental neuroscience. To achieve the goal of developing neurobehaviorally informed interventions, the candidate will engage in new and comprehensive training in intervention science with a focus on early intervention for autism, new training in structural brain imaging analysis, and additional statistical and methodological training. Activities supporting these content areas include hands-on training, coursework, journal clubs and directed readings, specialty conference and institute participation, and professional development seminars, with training culminating in the preparation of an R01 grant. The candidate will also investigate brain imaging predictors of: 1) joint attention in toddlers with ASD and 2) response to intervention for joint attention. In the fist study, the candidate will examine concurrent and predictive imaging markers of joint attention in an existing longitudinal sample of toddlers with ASD. In the second study, the candidate will collect pre-treatment imaging data on ~45 toddlers with ASD enrolled in a funded RCT for joint attention intervention to indentify neural mediators of dimensional outcomes, and conduct an exploratory analysis of differences between high- and low-responders. The University of North Carolina is an active center of autism research. Primary mentor Dr. Joseph Piven is a leading expert in the neurobiology of ASD and has extensive experience mentoring junior scientists. He is Director of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD) and PI of the ACE Network Infant Brain Imaging Study. Co-mentor Dr. Samuel Odom is an accomplished expert in early intervention for ASD. He is Director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and PI of many early intervention studies. UNC is home to world-class imaging facilities and experts, including co-mentor Dr. Martin Styner, an expert in structural image analysis and Co-Director of both the Neuro Image Research and Analysis Lab and the CIDD's Developmental Neuroimaging Core. Together, this mentor team is superbly qualified to provide the candidate with training, guidance, and oversight in development activities bridging brain, behavior, and intervention.