Magnetoencephalogrphic (MEG) Studies of Atypical Cortical Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorders

该项目旨在为自闭症干预开发一个创新的神经虚拟现实工具箱，代表了生命与健康科学学院（LHS）和工程与应用科学学院（SEAS）之间的一次全新合作，将K Kessler教授（LHS）在社会神经科学、虚拟现实和自闭症研究中的神经科学方面的专业知识和U Bernardet博士（SEAS）在虚拟人类软件技术方面的专业知识结合起来，用于非语言社会互动。社会空间行为的自反行为架构和建模。该项目是与提名候选人Cliona Kelly共同设计的。其目的是开发虚拟人类工具箱，用于简单的非语言社会互动，以评估自闭症患者在行为和对非语言行为的电生理反应方面的缺陷，从长远来看，这将导致新的干预技术。操纵VR化身的面部表情、凝视和近距离行为的初步实验将主要基于Bailenson等人（2003年）对神经正常参与者的行为研究，以及Wang等人（2017年）对自闭症参与者的行为研究。然而，在这个项目中，反应只会通过公开行为（例如参与者的凝视、面部表情和近距离反应）来评估，也会通过脑电生理记录（EEG）、心率（HR）和皮肤电导（GSR）来评估。在第二个创新阶段，参与者的多模态反应将用于驱动闭环控制系统中的虚拟人行为，为长期行为改变提供一种新方法。虽然VR的研究和干预正在自闭症和其他精神障碍中进行试验（例如Wang等人，2017年），但我们在阿斯顿的团队将首先将电生理测量与现实虚拟人的复杂动态控制系统相结合，并实施自闭症行为改变的闭环系统。以非语言行为为目标，可以对交际能力低下的个体进行干预，而功能较高的个体将受益于言语交际的积极连锁效应。招募自闭症参与者将使用我们与特殊需要学校建立的联系。拟议的项目将进一步加深我们对自闭症行为和神经畸变的理解，为增强虚拟人类的真实感产生新的技术，这将有利于各种虚拟现实项目，并为使用闭环神经虚拟现实系统的新型干预技术提供概念验证。从长远来看，这个工具箱可以扩展到其他条件和障碍，如多动症、抑郁症、双相情感障碍、强迫症、精神分裂症、痴呆等。

The project aims to develop an innovative Neuro-VR toolbox for autism intervention and represents a novel collaboration between the School of Life & Health Sciences (LHS) and the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS), bringing together Professor K Kessler's (LHS) expertise in social neuroscience, neuroscience in virtual reality and autism research and Dr U Bernardet's (SEAS) expertise in Virtual Human software technology for non-verbal social interaction, reflexive behaviour architecture and modelling of social-spatial behaviour. The project was co-designed with the named candidate, Cliona Kelly.The aim is to develop Virtual Humans toolbox for simple, non-verbal social interactions to enable assessment of autistic deficits in behavioural and electrophysiological responses to non-verbal behaviour, leading to novel intervention technology in the long run. Initial experiments manipulating facial expressions, gaze and proxemic behaviour of VR avatars will be largely based on previous behavioural research by Bailenson et al. (2003) with neurotypical participants and on Wang et al (2017) with autistic participants. However, in this project, responses will only be assessed through overt behaviour (e.g. participants' gaze, facial expression and proxemic responses) but also through electrophysiological recordings of brain (EEG), heart rate (HR) and galvanic skin conductance (GSR). In a second innovative stage, participant multimodal responses will be used to drive Virtual Human behaviour in a closed-loop control system, providing a novel approach for long-term behavioural modification. While research and interventions with VR are being trialled in autism and other mental disorders (e.g. Wang et al., 2017), our team at Aston will be first to integrate electrophysiologial measures with a complex dynamic control system for realistic Virtual Humans and implement a closed-loop system for behavioural modification in autism. Targetting non-verbal behaviours enables interventions with individuals with reduced communicative abilities, while higher-functioning individuals will benefit from positive knock-on effects on verbal communication. Recruitment of autistic participants will use our established links with special needs schools. The proposed project will further our understanding of behavioural and neural abberrations in autism, generate novel technology for enhanced realism of Virtual Humans that will benefit a variety of VR projects, and provide proof-of-concept for novel intervention technology using closed-loop Neuro-VR systems. In the long term, this toolbox could be extended to other conditions and disorders such as ADHD, Depression, Bi-polar Disorder, OCD, Schizophrenia, Dementia, etc.