Neuroanatomical MRI Studies of Childhood Disorders

描述(申请人提供)：这个项目的长期目标是使用解剖磁共振成像(MRI)来更好地了解儿童神经精神障碍的神经基础。这一特殊的应用将集中于定义抽动症(TS)、强迫症(OCD)和注意缺陷多动障碍(ADHD)的解剖学基础。在620名儿童和成人中，精确定义的皮质和皮质下区域的详细体积和形态测量将在不同年龄和诊断组之间进行比较。将评估这些措施与免疫学、神经体液、神经心理学和家族史数据以及其他行为指标的相关性。手动和自动图像分析方法将用于改进对大脑形态的评估。通过了解导致这些发育障碍的大脑结构障碍以及它们如何在这些情况下引起相关的行为障碍，我们将能够更好地评估和把握神经系统发育背景下治疗干预的效果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term aim of this project is to use anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to understand better the neural basis of childhood neuropsychiatric disorders. This particular application will focus on defining the anatomical basis of Tourette's syndrome (TS), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Detailed volumetric and morphological measures of precisely defined cortical and subcortical regions in 620 children and adults will be compared across age and diagnostic groups. Correlates of these measures with immunological, neurohumoral, neuropsychological, and family history data, and with other behavioral indices, will be assessed. Both manual and automated image analysis methodologies will be applied for the improved assessment of brain morphology. By understanding the disturbances in cerebral architecture that undedie these developmental disorders and how they give rise to associated behavioral disturbances in these conditions, we will be better able to assess and to time the efficacy of therapeutic interventions in the context of the developing nervous system.