ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND fMRI STUDIES OF SOCIAL COGNITION IN AUTISM

我们建议研究社会认知最基本方面之一的大脑基础， 处理.利用事件相关电位（ERPs）和功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）的平行研究将提供有关自闭症患者大脑对面孔反应的时间和区域分布异常的信息。25名患有特发性自闭症的成年人和25名智商和年龄匹配的典型个体将参与每项研究。这些研究将检查ERP和flVIRI对面部与非面部视觉刺激，特定面部部位（眼睛与嘴巴），移动与静态面部部位以及熟悉与不熟悉的面孔的反应。对同一个体的单独眼动追踪研究将检查在观看不同类型的面部刺激时的眼动。我们将测试一个新的假设， 自闭症的注意加工与观察面孔时的非典型注意策略有关。ERP、fMRI和眼动追踪研究的结果也将与面部感知和记忆的神经心理学测试以及社交障碍的行为测量结果相关。这些研究将揭示自闭症患者面部处理障碍的本质和神经基础。这些信息在临床上对于自闭症的早期识别、有针对性的干预措施的开发以及自闭症遗传基础的调查都很重要。有强有力的证据表明自闭症的遗传成分，我们希望这项研究将导致更精确的数量性状测量，可用于遗传研究。

We propose to study the brain bases of one of the most basic aspects of social cognition, face processing. Parallel studies utilizing event-related potentials (ERPs) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will provide information about abnormalities in the timing and regional distribution of brain response to faces in autism. Twenty-five adults with idiopathic autism and 25 IQ- and age-matched typical individuals will participate in each study. These studies will examine ERP and flVIRI in response to face vs. nonface visual stimuli, to specific face parts (eyes vs. mouths), to moving vs. static face parts, and to familiar vs. unfamiliar faces. Separate eye-tracking studies on the same individuals will examine eye movements during viewing of different types of face stimuli. We will test a novel hypothesis that abnormalities in face processing in autism are related to atypical attentional strategies when viewing faces. Results of the ERP, fMRI, and eye-tracking studies will also be correlated with performance on neuropsychological tests of face perception and memory, and behavioral measures of social impairment. These studies will shed light on the nature and neural bases of face processing impairments in autism. Such information is clinically important for early identification, development of targeted interventions, and investigation of the genetic basis of autism. There is strong evidence of a genetic component in autism, and we expect that this research will lead to more refined measures of quantitative traits that can be used in genetic studies.