ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND fMRI STUDIES OF SOCIAL COGNITION IN AUTISM

我们建议研究社会认知中最基本的方面之一--面子的大脑基础 正在处理。利用事件相关电位(ERPs)和功能磁共振成像(FMRI)进行的平行研究将提供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。这些研究将检测对面部和非面部视觉刺激、特定面部部分(眼睛和嘴巴)、运动和静止面部部分以及熟悉和陌生面孔的反应的ERP和flVIRI。对同一个体的单独眼球跟踪研究将检查在观看不同类型的面部刺激时的眼球运动。我们将检验一个新的假说，面部的异常 自闭症患者的加工与观看面孔时的非典型注意策略有关。事件相关电位、功能磁共振成像和眼球跟踪研究的结果也将与面部知觉和记忆的神经心理测试以及社会损害的行为测量的表现相关联。这些研究将阐明自闭症患者面部加工障碍的本质和神经基础。这些信息对于早期识别、制定有针对性的干预措施和调查自闭症的遗传基础具有重要的临床意义。有强有力的证据表明自闭症有遗传成分，我们预计这项研究将导致对可用于遗传学研究的数量性状进行更精细的测量。

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.