FUNCTIONAL AND CONNECTIVITY NEUROIMAGING OF AUTISM

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 本研究的主要目的有两个。1)开发新的方法，使我们能够探索大脑中对处理声音和语言至关重要的区域。我们现在可以使用新技术，特别是磁共振成像(MRI)来研究活人的大脑。我们将首先使用这些工具绘制出控制受试者大脑中处理声音和语言的区域，以开发方法和分析，使我们能够看到这些过程在大脑中的哪里发生，以及这些区域是如何相互联系的。2.)应用这些新的工具和方法来调查患有自闭症的青少年的相同问题。我们知道语言缺陷是自闭症的核心特征之一，可能会在大多数自闭症儿童和成年人中发现，但我们仍然对这些障碍背后的大脑病理知之甚少。这项研究将揭示大脑的哪些区域可能无法有效地处理声音或语言，以及自闭症患者大脑关键区域之间的连接可能会中断。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. There are two main goals of this research. 1.) Develop new methods that will allow us to explore the brain regions that are critical for processing sounds and language. We now can use novel technologies, especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the brains of living people. We will first use these tools to map out the areas of the brain that process sounds and language in control subjects to develop the methods and analysis that will allow us to see where in the brain these processes take place and how these areas are connected to one another. 2.) Apply these new tools and methods to investigate the same questions in adolescents with autism. We know that language deficits are among the core features of autism and may be found in the majority of children and adults with autism, yet we still know little about the brain pathology that may underlie these impairments. This research will shed light on which regions of the brain may not be processing either sounds or language in an efficient way, and where connections between critical brain regions may break down in autism.