Electrophysiological Response to Executive Control Training in Autism

自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)非常常见，估计患病率为每110名儿童中就有1名 美国。50%至96%的自闭症儿童表现出执行控制能力受损 为目标服务的复杂或相互冲突的信息。开发适当的执行控制是 与公共健康相关，因为这些技能对于在学校、工作场所和社交中取得成功至关重要 两性关系。自闭症的执行障碍已经得到了很好的记录，但几乎没有收到过任何 干预研究关注。此外，ASD执行控制基础的神经系统的发展 它们对社会功能和症状的贡献仍然知之甚少。拟议中的项目具有 以下科学目标：(1)用两种方法确定自闭症儿童执行控制的神经基础 完善的电生理措施(K99期)；(2)测试个体电生理是否 执行控制的差异与儿童的社会功能和症状有意义地相关 ASD(R00期)；以及(3)评估在执行控制方面的简短、集中的培训是否对 自闭症儿童(R00期)脑功能和行为的变化这些目标将得到解决 使用一套通用的电生理测量方法。在被指导的K99阶段，神经对 30名自闭症儿童的执行控制任务将与30名发育正常的儿童进行比较。在.期间 在独立阶段，60名患有自闭症的儿童将被随机分配接受简短的执行控制 培训或到候补名单。神经反应的个体差异及其与社会能力的关系将是 在干预前对所有儿童进行评估。主要的职业发展目标是：完成 苏珊·法亚博士在电生理学方面的培训以及她作为一名独立科学家开始的职业生涯 长期目标是检查与干预相关的大脑行为变化。法贾医生是一名临床医生 有临床研究背景的心理学家，包括开发一种简短的计算机干预 患有自闭症的个体。拟议的职业发展建立在目前高级博士后研究员工作的基础上 对ASD患者使用电生理方法。具体的职业发展目标 是：(1)提供对研究大脑-行为关系至关重要的电生理学方法的培训 与执行控制和对干预措施的反应有关；(2)解决临床和统计方面的具体差距 培训：(3)支持法贾博士向独立职位过渡；(4)培养助学金和实验室技能 管理层。指导阶段将在华盛顿大学进行，该大学在 培训自闭症研究人员并支持职业奖励。导师包括Sara Webb博士、Wendy Stone和 Michael Posner，他在电生理学、临床专业发展方面提供了大量的专业知识 研究人员，以及执行控制和通过培训加强执行控制。该项目与 NIH的目标是发展一支强大的研究人员队伍，以解决国家的行为和临床问题 研究需求和机构间自闭症协调委员会战略计划，该战略计划规定 需要对个体差异进行生物行为研究，并为学校开发新的治疗方法- 患有自闭症的老年儿童。

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are extremely common, with prevalence estimated at 1 in 110 children in the United States. Fifty to 96% of children with ASD demonstrate impaired executive controlthe ability to manage complex or conflicting information in the service of a goal. Development of appropriate executive control is relevant to public health because these skills are critical for success in school, the workplace, and social relationships. Executive impairments in ASD have been well documented, but have received virtually no intervention research attention. Further, development of neural systems underlying executive control in ASD and their contribution to social function and symptoms remain poorly understood. The proposed project has the following scientific goals: (1) to determine the neural basis of executive control in children with ASD using two well-established electrophysiological measures (K99 period); (2) to test whether individual electrophysiological differences in executive control are meaningfully related to the social function and symptoms of children with ASD (R00 period); and (3) to assess whether brief, focused training in executive control produces significant changes in the brain function and behavior of children with ASD (R00 period). These goals will be addressed using a common set of electrophysiological measures. During the mentored K99 phase, the neural response to executive control tasks by 30 children with ASD will be compared with 30 typically developing children. During the independent phase, 60 children with ASD will be randomly assigned to receive brief executive control training or to a waitlist. Individual differences in neural response and their relation to social ability will be assessed in all children prior to intervention. The major career development objectives are: the completion of Dr. Susan Faja's training in electrophysiology and the launching of her career as an independent scientist with the long-term goal of examining brain-behavioral changes associated with intervention. Dr. Faja is a clinical psychologist with a background in clinical research including development of a brief computer intervention for individuals with ASD. The proposed career development builds on current work as a senior postdoctoral fellow that employs electrophysiological methods with individuals with ASD. The specific career development goals are: (1) to provide training in electrophysiological methods crucial to investigating brain-behavior relationships related to executive control and response to intervention; (2) to address specific gaps in clinical and statistical training: (3) to support Dr. Faja's transition to an independent position, and (4) to foster skills in grant and lab management. The mentored phase will occur at the University of Washington, which has a strong record of training autism researchers and supporting career awards. Mentors include Drs. Sara Webb, Wendy Stone and Michael Posner, who provide considerable expertise in electrophysiology, professional development of clinical researchers, and executive control and its enhancement via training, respectively. The project is aligned with NIH's goal of developing a strong cohort of investigators to address the nation's behavioral and clinical research needs and with the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Strategic Plan, which stipulates the need for bio-behavioral studies of individual differences and the development of novel treatments for school- aged children with ASD.