Divergence and Variability of Language Maps in Autism

描述(由申请人提供)：尽管普遍认为自闭症 有生物原因，大脑异常部位和 认知-行为障碍仍不清楚。功能神经成像 研究没有提供一个清晰的图景，可能是由于病因 自闭症样本的异质性。我们将探索潜在的异常情况 自闭症患者以个体为重点的功能性脑组织 变异性，使用功能磁共振成像(FMRI)--一种 有足够的力量进行个别分析。30个口头上有 自闭症，24名阿斯伯格综合征(AS)患者，以及年龄、性别和 将研究与左撇子相匹配的对照。我们的项目将以语言为重点 --这一领域不仅在延迟和延迟方面区分自闭症和AS 缺陷，但也具有广泛的能力范围内 成年自闭症人群。功能磁共振成像将在听觉和 语音辨析和词汇语义联想。几个 补充数据分析路径(GroupWise和Intra个别；in 规格化和原生空间)将使我们能够：(I)确定一致的 自闭症和强直性脊柱炎患者功能图的异常；(Ii)量化 每个受试者的激活焦点与正常和 患者群体内的个体变异性；(Iii)联系不同的模式 异常功能图与语言技能的测量；及(Iv) 区分功能地形图病理性障碍的影响 补偿性的可塑性。我们将测试假设，根据这些假设， 自闭症(在AS中程度较轻)神经病理障碍 差异化和贫乏的互动语言体验 关键发育期导致异常的神经功能图和 异常明显的个体变异性。自闭症的语言延迟是 进一步假设与非典型半球优势有关 语言。最后，我们预计个别变化的异常模式 功能图将与语言输出水平相关联。识别 脑图和成人的功能水平之间的这种联系将 从以下方面阐明自闭症个体差异的意义 不同的病因和异常发育途径。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite a general consensus that autism has biological causes, the specific links between brain loci of abnormality and cognitive-behavioral impairments remain unknown. Functional neuroimaging studies do not provide a clear picture, possibly due to etiological heterogeneity of autism samples. We will explore potential abnormalities of functional brain organization in autism with specific focus on individual variability, using functional MRI (fMRI) -- an imaging technique with sufficient power for individual analyses. Thirty verbal individuals with autism, 24 subjects with Asperger syndrome (AS), and age, gender, and handedness-matched controls will be studied. Our project will focus on language -- a domain which not only differentiates autism and AS in terms of delay and deficit, but is also characterized by a wide spectrum of abilities within the adult autistic population. FMRI will be performed during auditory and phonological discrimination, and lexical semantic association. Several complementary data analysis paths (groupwise and intraindividually; in normalized and native space) will enable us: (i) to identify consistent abnormalities of functional maps for autism and AS groups; (ii) to quantify activation foci in each subject in terms of spatial divergence from normal and individual variability within patient groups; (iii) to relate varying patterns of abnormal functional maps with measures of language skill; and (iv) to distinguish effects of pathological disturbance of functional maps from those of compensatory plasticity. We will test hypotheses, according to which in autism (and to a lesser extent in AS) pathological disturbance of neural differentiation and impoverished interactive language experience during critical developmental periods result in aberrant neurofunctional maps and abnormally pronounced individual variability. Language delay in autism is further hypothesized to be associated with atypical hemispheric dominance for language. Finally, we expect that individually variable patterns of abnormal functional maps will be correlated with level of language outcome. Identifying such links between brain maps and level of functioning achieved in adults will elucidate the significance of individual variation in autism in terms of different pathways of etiology and abnormal development.