|

AUCD Community Inclusion

AUCD’s Community Inclusion Team supports the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Network in partnership with the Administration for Community Living.

Learn More
|

AUCD Maternal and Child Health Engagement

AUCD’s Maternal and Child Health Engagement supports the Autism CARES Programs, including LEND and DBP Programs.

Learn More
|

AUCD Public Health

AUCD’s Public Health Team works to create health promotion and public health efforts that include people with disabilities.

Learn More
|

AUCD Emerging Leaders Community

AUCD Emerging Leaders are a part of a community that includes trainees, early career professionals, self-advocates, and family members from AUCD member Centers and Programs.

Learn More

Donate

Project

Immune Functioning and Reward Processing in Autism

Center:

NC-Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, UCEDD/LEND

Fiscal Year:

2025

Contact Information:

Gabriel Dichter
[email protected]
919-966-5171

Project Description:

The social motivation theory of autism posits that reduced motivation to interact with people and decreased pleasure derived from social interactions may derail typical social development and contribute to the emergence of social communication deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objectives of this proposal are to investigate relations between (i) neural responses to social rewards, measured via electroencephalography, (ii) a blood-derived composite marker of systemic inflammation, and (iii) ASD symptoms and quality of life. This project will provide a deeper understanding of relations between neural responses to social rewards, immune functioning, and symptom expression in ASD and has the potential to contribute to the development of EEG-based measures that may be suitable endpoints in future mechanistic trials investigating novel ASD interventions targeting inflammatory processes.

Keyword(s):

Mental/Behavioral Health – Autism, Developmental Disabilities, Mental/Behavioral Health – General , Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs

Core Function(s):

Performing Research or Evaluation

Area of Emphasis

Health-Related Activities

Target Audience:

Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN

Unserved or Under-served Populations:

Specific Groups

Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:

Not Applicable

Funding Source:

Federal