Wireless EEG System for Training Attention and Eye Movement in ASD

描述（由申请人提供）：自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种终身障碍，严重影响学习能力和在社会环境中发挥作用。在典型功能中，更高水平的社交，语言和沟通技能在生命的最初几年发展，并依赖于感觉运动和注意力能力的关键构建模块。类似地，在自闭症中，在纳塔尔后的头两年内，社会沟通方面的更高水平的问题会发展，并且在此之前会出现微妙但异常的视觉注意力和运动技能。改善社会互动和沟通的培训是ASD最常见的行为干预措施。这些疗法可以改善作为训练目标的特定行为，但很少推广到更广泛的功能或其他临床症状。我们建议，针对支持社会和语言技能的早期缺陷的干预措施将更广泛地有效。由于注意力中断是自闭症最早和最持久的症状之一，而且注意力高度依赖于训练的改善，因此它是干预的重要目标。 我们提出了一种新的干预训练的速度和准确性的注意定向和眼动。该训练旨在针对自闭症中已被证明受损的注意力行为，包括注意力定向，脱离和转移，以及有限的注意力领域。由于眼动和注意力紧密相连，ASD的眼动缺陷与空间注意力相似。眼动提供了注意力的标记，所提出的训练旨在同时提高眼动和注意力的速度、准确性和灵活性。训练将使用一系列娱乐性的视频游戏，利用安装在为家庭使用而设计的轻型头盔中的无线EEG以真实的时间提供的视觉和听觉反馈来逐渐塑造行为。我们计划在训练前和训练后进行三个层次的结果测量，以测试干预的有效性（注意力和眼动的直接测试;注意力和视觉监测的改善测试以及模拟环境中反应的速度和准确性;在实际社会环境中的行为测试）。在此应用程序的R21阶段，我们将：完成和测试硬件和软件;验证EEG和眼睛跟踪方法;测试系统在家中使用的可行性;设计，编程和试点测试视频游戏。在本项目的R33阶段，我们将在对照条件下进行临床试验（例如，没有训练元素的标准视频游戏）与9-15岁ASD儿童的小样本。如果这一初步工作是成功的，长期目标将是开发一个容易获得的廉价的基于EEG的系统，用于家庭使用，适用于广泛的年龄范围的ASD儿童和成人。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disorder that severely affects the ability to learn and function in a social environment. In typica function, higher level social, language and communication skills develop over the first few years of life and depend upon the critical building blocks of sensory-motor and attention abilities. Similarly in autism, higher level problems with social communication develop over the first two post- natal years and are preceded by subtle but abnormal visual attention and motor skills. Trainings to improve social interaction and communication are the most common of behavioral interventions in ASD. These therapies may improve the specific behaviors that are targets of the training, but rarely do they generalize to broader function or other clinical symptoms. We propose that interventions aimed instead at the early deficits that support social and language skills would be more broadly effective. Because disruption of attention is one of the earliest and most persistent symptoms in autism, and because attention is highly subject to improvement with training, it is an important target for intervention. We propose a novel intervention to trai the speed and accuracy of attention orienting and eye movement. The training is designed to target attentional behaviors that have been shown to be impaired in autism, including attention orienting, disengagement and shifting, and a restricted attentional field. Because eye movement and attention are tightly linked, eye movement deficits in ASD parallel those found in spatial attention. Eye movements provide a marker for attention and the proposed training is designed to improve speed, accuracy and flexibility of eye movement and attention simultaneously. Training will use a series of entertaining video games to gradually shape behavior using visual and auditory feedback provided in real time from wireless EEG mounted in lightweight headgear designed for home use. We plan three levels of outcome measures for pre- and post-training to test the effectiveness of the intervention (direct tests of attention and eye movement; tests of improvement in attentional and visual monitoring and speed and accuracy of response in a simulated environment; tests of behavior in an actual social environment). During the R21 phase of this application we will: complete and test hardware and software; validate EEG and eye-tracking methods; test feasibility of the system for use at home; design, program and pilot test the video games. During the R33 phase of this project we will conduct clinical trials with control conditions (e.g., standard video games without training elements) with a small sample of ASD children aged 9-15. If this initial work is successful, the long term goal would be to develop a readily available inexpensive EEG-based system for home use that is suitable for a broad age range of ASD children and adults.