SGER: Learning and Representation of Cortical similarity of faces in Individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

该提议代表了计算认知神经科学的一个新兴领域。它解决了大脑如何学习的一个重要问题，具体地说，学习是如何在梭状面部区域(FFA)发生的。关于人脸加工的神经信息位于FFA的说法最近受到了越来越多的关注，需要使用计算神经科学和高分辨率fMRI方法进行进一步的研究。这项建议结合高分辨率成像和综合特征选择方法来研究面部刺激在神经典型患者和自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)患者的脑组织中的表现方式。该提案的具体目标是检查ASD患者和神经典型患者的皮质代表性差异，重点放在面部诊断大脑区域(例如，FFA)。这两组受试者将尝试学习相同的面孔定向任务，以便在收集他们的大脑扫描时确定任何行为缺陷。自闭症患者在学习面部反应方面的困难问题目前还没有得到很好的理解。目前的建议可以为自闭症的神经基础提供重要的见解，特别是对FFA的选择性及其在自闭症障碍中的作用的问题。

The proposal represents an emerging area of computational cognitive neuroscience. It addresses an important issues of how brain learns, and specifically, how learning occurs in fusiform face area (FFA). The claim that the neural information for face processing is located in FFA, recently came under increasing scrutiny, and it needs further investigation using computation neuroscience and high resolution fMRI methodology. This proposal combines high resolution imaging with comprehensive feature selection method to examine the way face stimuli are represented in brain tissue of both neuro-typical and individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). The specific goal of the proposal is to examine cortical representational differences in individuals with ASD and neuro-typicals with a focus on face diagnostic brain areas (e.g., FFA). Both groups of subjects will attempt to learn the same face orientation task in order to establish any behavioral deficits while their brain scans will be collected. The problems of ASD individual difficulties in learning of face responses are currently not well understood. The current proposal can provide significant insights into the neural substrates of autism, and specifically into the issue of selectivity of FFA and its role in autistic disorder.