Functional Neuroimaging of Psychopharmacologic Intervention for Autism

描述（由申请人提供）：这是一份指导患者导向研究职业发展奖的申请。候选人之前作为临床心理学家和神经影像学博士后的培训使他在自闭症谱系障碍症状表达的临床知识和功能磁共振成像（fMRI）的技术方面发展了专业知识。拟开展培训和研究项目，目标包括：1)功能磁共振成像（fMRI）在干预研究中的应用；2)自闭症患者限制性、重复性行为和执行功能的评估；3)自闭症治疗结果研究，包括治疗研究设计、治疗反应的潜在脑机制和结果评估。为了成为一名富有成效和独立的自闭症研究者，并在使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）来评估自闭症治疗的假定作用机制方面具有专长，申请人正在寻求支持，以获得上述学科的培训。该申请的框架是自闭症的症状域是由神经认知过程介导的，可以通过有针对性的精神药理学治疗来改善，并且可以通过功能磁共振成像（fMRI）进行评估。在此奖项申请中概述的培训基础上，候选人将使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）研究高功能自闭症成人中介导症状表达的神经认知过程与西酞普兰诱导的特定领域症状减轻之间的神经生物学联系。该研究将扩展申请人之前的fMRI研究，并将代表一个指导研究项目的第一步，该项目旨在探索自闭症症状表达的神经基础，并通过靶向治疗减少自闭症症状。这个应用程序是创新的，因为它将是第一个同时检查自闭症治疗反应的神经、症状和神经心理学概况的应用程序。公共卫生相关性：脑成像技术允许对神经发育障碍进行无创调查，以及治疗如何改善症状。这项研究试图利用大脑功能的测量来帮助理解如何有效的干预减轻自闭症谱系障碍患者的症状。这项研究的发现可能会导致未来的研究，旨在开发更好的干预措施，最终目标是减少神经发育障碍患者的痛苦。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application for a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award. The candidate's prior training as a clinical psychologist and as a neuroimaging postdoctoral fellow has allowed him to develop expertise in clinical knowledge of symptom expression in autism spectrum disorders and the technical aspects of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The candidate proposes a program of training and research with the goal of integrating: i) Applications of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for intervention research, 2) Assessment of restricted and repetitive behaviors and executive function in autism, and 3) Autism treatment outcome research, including treatment study design, potential brain mechanisms of treatment response, and outcome assessment. To establish a career as a productive and independent autism investigator with a specialty in the use of fMRI to evaluate the putative mechanisms of action of autism treatments, the applicant is seeking support to obtain training in the disciplines listed above, The framework of this application is that symptom domains in autism are mediated by neurocognitive processes that may be ameliorated with targeted psychopharmacologic treatments and that may be assessed via fMRI. Building upon the training outlined in this award application, the candidate will use fMRI to investigate neurobiological links between neurocognitive processes mediating symptom expression and domain-specific symptom reductions induced by citalopram in high-functioning adults with autism. This study will extend the applicant's prior fMRI research and will represent an initial step in a program of mentored research with the goal of exploring the neural basis of autism symptom expression and their reduction via targeted treatments. This application is innovative because it would be the first to examine concurrently the neural, symptomatic, and neuropsychological profiles of treatment response in autism. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Brain imaging techniques allow for non-invasive investigations of neurodevelopmental disorders and how treatments may ameliorate symptoms. This study seeks to use measures of brain functioning to help understand how an effective intervention reduces symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The findings of the study may lead to future research aimed at developing better interventions with the ultimate goal of reducing suffering for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.