Social & Language Deficits in Autism-Biology & Treament

加州大学洛杉矶分校自闭症研究与治疗中心（CART）的目标是开展遗传学、大脑结构和功能、行为发育以及实验干预方面的基础研究，以了解自闭症核心缺陷的生物学基础和可能的环境补救措施。加州大学洛杉矶分校CART的中心主题是阐明自闭症的社交、交流和语言缺陷的病因，第二个主题是实验性干预措施的设计和测试。CART研究的具体目的是：1)识别区分自闭症儿童的兄弟姐妹与发育正常的兄弟姐妹的能力和特征，包括行为和基因

The goal of the UCLA Center for Autism Research and Treatment (CART) is to conduct basic research on genetics, brain structure and function, and behavioral development as well as experimental interventions in order to understand the biological bases and possible environmental remedies for core deficits in autism. The central theme of the UCLA CART is on the elucidation of the etiology of social, communicative, and language deficits in autism, and the second theme is on the design and testing of experimental interventions. The specific aims of the CART research are to 1) Identify the abilities and characteristics, both behavioral and genetic, which differentiate the infant siblings of children with autism from siblings of developmentally delayed and typically developing siblings and predict the later manifestations of autistic symptoms; 2) Determine the neural pathways used by children with autism and typically developing children in understanding prosody and language; 3) Implement and compare the effects of intervention projects aimed at ameliorating behavioral disturbances and improving interactions with family members, peers, and friends; and 4) Define the genetic contributions to autism by studying component cognitive and behavioral endophenotypes and performing specific genotype - phenotype correlations, thereby, laying the groundwork for future pharmacogenetic studies. Besides providing resources to the projects, each Core will have a unique educational component. The Administrative-Database Core will contain a Pilot Program; the Imaging Core will develop means for teaching their techniques to a wider group of autism researchers; and the Assessment and Outreach Core will organize an educational program for Center members as well as for the community groups with whom we are cooperating.