Visuomotor integration and attention in Autism Spectrum Disorder

项目总结 候选人海莉·米勒博士的目标是开发一项关于视觉运动整合的研究计划 自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)。她和她的导师(Nicoleta Bugnariu博士、Mary Hayhoe博士和Matt博士 (莫斯科尼)，计划了一系列培训和研究活动，包括讲习班、正式课程、 并咨询ASD、发育神经科学、运动控制和眼科领域的专家 追踪。Bugnariu博士和Hayhoe博士是共同的主要导师：Bugnariu博士在运动控制方面拥有专业知识， 发展神经科学和ASD的功能运动；Hayhoe博士在视觉运动方面拥有专业知识 典型发展中的整合和眼动，以及多产的出版和联邦 资金问题。莫斯科尼博士是ASD领域公认的运动发育专家，他将担任二级导师。一个 顾问团队也将支持米勒博士的培训：加弗博士和邓普西博士拥有丰富的工作经验 这种疾病的症状特征千差万别。丽塔·帕特森博士是一位 生物力学和时间序列数据的数学建模；琳达·海南博士是生物统计学专家。 米勒博士将研究视觉运动整合--使用视觉信息来计划、执行、 在45名患有自闭症(7-17岁)的儿童和45名年龄、性别和智商通常匹配的儿童中，修改动作- 开发(TD)控件。准确的视觉运动集成对于与环境交互至关重要。 尽管之前对运动知觉进行了研究，但仍不清楚ASD患者是否未能适当地 与移动的对象交互，因为它们不能准确地：i)将视觉注意力引导到对象；ii)评估 对象的空间位置和运动；iii)使用视觉信息来计划运动响应；和/或iv)执行 马达计划实现所需的身体动作。拟议的研究将量化TD之间的差异 以及ASD感知对象运动并执行/修改计划的运动响应的能力。要完成 为了实现这一目标，米勒博士将使用移动眼球跟踪、动作捕捉和虚拟现实的独特组合来 评估对视觉运动的反应。可变速度、干扰对象和复杂的背景设置 在互动虚拟游戏中用来评估注意力在运动处理和反应中的作用。 通过研究可视化运动在虚拟环境中的融合，更贴近地反映现实世界 在认知和视觉需求方面，米勒博士的目标是了解自闭症患者这种缺陷的实际后果。 ASD的临床症状(如笨拙)和功能障碍(如驾驶、运动)可能 源于无效的视觉运动整合。特别是对青少年来说，成年期的过渡和 独立伴随着许多视觉运动挑战，比如驾驶、运动和身体健康， 和社交互动。未能掌握这些技能可能会增加照顾者的负担，久坐不动 生活方式和社会孤立。拟议项目产生的知识可能有助于确定目标 对ASD患者进行干预以纠正这些症状并恢复其功能。

PROJECT SUMMARY The candidate, Dr. Haylie Miller, aims to develop a program of research on visuomotor integration in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She and her mentors (Drs. Nicoleta Bugnariu, Mary Hayhoe, and Matt Mosconi), have planned a series of training and research activities, including workshops, formal coursework, and consultation with experts in the fields of ASD, developmental neuroscience, motor control, and eye tracking. Dr. Bugnariu and Dr. Hayhoe are co-primary mentors: Dr. Bugnariu has expertise in motor control, developmental neuroscience, and functional movement in ASD; Dr. Hayhoe has expertise in visuomotor integration and eye movement in typical development, as well as a prolific record of publication and federal funding. Dr. Mosconi, a recognized expert in motor development in ASD, will serve as a secondary mentor. An advisory team will also support Dr. Miller's training: Drs. Garver and Dempsey have ample experience working with individuals across the widely variable symptom profile of the disorder. Dr. Rita Patterson is an expert in biomechanics and mathematical modeling of time series data; Dr. Linda Hynan is an expert in biostatistics. Dr. Miller will study visuomotor integration–the process of using visual information to plan, execute, and modify movements–in 45 children with ASD (ages 7-17) and 45 age-, gender- and IQ-matched typically- developing (TD) controls. Accurate visuomotor integration is critical for interacting with the environment. Despite prior studies of motion perception, it is still unclear whether individuals with ASD fail to appropriately interact with moving objects because they do not accurately: i) direct visual attention to objects; ii) assess the spatial position and motion of objects; iii) use visual information to plan a motor response; and/or iv) execute motor plans to achieve desired body movements. The proposed study will quantify differences between TD and ASD in the ability to perceive object motion, and execute/modify planned motor responses. To accomplish this aim, Dr. Miller will use a unique combination of mobile eye-tracking, motion capture, and virtual reality to assess response to visual motion. Variable speeds, distractor objects and complex background settings will be used in interactive virtual games to assess the role of attention in processing and reacting to motion. By studying visuomotor integration in the virtual environment, which more closely mirrors real-world cognitive and visual demands, Dr. Miller aims to understand the practical consequences of this deficit in ASD. Clinical symptoms (e.g., clumsiness) and functional impairments (e.g., driving, playing sports) in ASD likely stem from ineffective visuomotor integration. Particularly for adolescents, the transition to adulthood and independence is accompanied by a number of visuomotor challenges like driving, sports and physical fitness, and social interaction. Failure to master these skills can result in added burden on caregivers, sedentary lifestyle, and social isolation. Knowledge generated by the proposed project may aid in identifying targets for intervention to remediate these symptoms and restore functional ability in people with ASD.