Project Description:
Newly emerging theories of brain functioning in autism are highlighting problems with the way different parts of the brain work together to solve social or language problems. We believe that the brain does not function as a unit in autism as reflected by their behavioral symptoms. The evidence is converging from several different types of research. Several recent functional brain imaging (fMRI) studies provided evidence of a lower degree of coordination among active brain areas in autism (Just et al., 2004; Kana et al., 2006; Castelli et al., 2002; Kana et al., 2007; Just et al., 2007). The cortical underconnectivity theory of autism (Just et al., 2004) provides an integrating framework for the new findings, and also provides useful extensions to previous theories of autism. Very briefly, the underconnectivity theory proposes that autism is a cognitive and neurobiological disorder associated with underfunctioning of integrative circuitry, resulting in a deficit in integration of information (e.g. because different areas of the brain are not working together as they should, information is being interpreted in a piecemeal fashion, rather than integrated in such a manner as to give the person the ?big picture? that is so necessary in interpreting social and linguistic events). Recent findings have localized the functional underconnectivity to connections between the frontal cortex and more posterior areas (Just et al., 2007; Kana et al., 2006).
The lower functional connectivity in autism suggests that the communication between certain cortical areas is less effective in autism, affecting how the cortically distributed components of thinking are coordinated. Now that it is established that the problems in brain connectivity form a critical factor in the autism symptomatology, a highly relevant question is what can we do next to fix such problems and help children and adults with autism function better in life. The main objective of our project is to address this issue in high-functioning children and adolescents with autism. The study will have three components: a pre-intervention fMRI scanning session (participants will be scanned when they perform language comprehension tasks to characterize the dysfunctional brain networks), an intervention session (participants go through a widely tested and established language-based remediation program designed by the Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes: http://www.lindamoodbell.com/), and a post-intervention fMRI scanning session (participants will go through another fMRI scanning session on language comprehension tasks with a goal of examining the effect of remediation on brain functioning and connectivity).
In addition to the changes in brain activation and functional connectivity, we will also examine the integrity of white matter fibers and their anatomical connections in the brain in children and adolescents with autism. This will be accomplished by a technique called Diffusion Tensor Imaging (examine the directions of water diffusion in the brain), which is a scan of about 11 minutes completed in the same session as the fMRI scan. During this scan, the participants lie down in the scanner without doing anything or they can sleep or watch a movie segment. Changes in white matter had been found in different populations, by previous studies, as a result of intervention.
The current research project will examine not only the nature of brain organization and brain functioning in autism spectrum disorders, but also how dysfunctional brain networks can be improved as a result of intensive remediation program. We will specifically address the neurological substrates of autism from the following perspectives:
? Since autism is a developmental disorder, our studies will investigate the brain organization and functioning in high-functioning children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.
? Communication and coordination between brain regions will be examined while participants are engaged in tasks of language comprehension, such as sentence processing.
? Language based remediation program will be provided to the participants with autism from this study and a post-intervention scanning session will help examine the changes in brain functioning as a result of intervention.
? Structural abnormalities in the brain, such as density, and volume of gray and white matter will be explored in the participants. In addition, the integrity of white matter fibers will be examined using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)
Keyword(s):
reading intervention, ASD, academic improvement, brain functioning is ASD
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Specific Groups
