Functional MRI of Cognitive Control in Autism

NCT00463164 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: 06-179
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 90
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aims to investigate the role of fronto-striatal circuits and cognitive control in the perseverative and inflexible behavior that is a defining feature of autism. We hypothesize that deficits in the development of fronto-striatal circuitry may underlie cognitive inflexibility in autism. Specifically, we hypothesize that repetitive, inflexible behavior arises as (1) fronto-striatal systems are capable of learning patterns present in the environment (as in implicit learning paradigms), but are unable to adapt behavior to changing circumstances, related to either (2) decreased ability of basal ganglia to detect violations of expectancy, (3) decreased ability of prefrontal cortex to respond to detected violations, or (4) decreased connectivity of the circuits. We are conducting three functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies to address these hypotheses.

Conditions

Autism

Keywords

functional MRI

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Years - 12 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• DSM-IV (APA, 1994) diagnosis of autism, according to ADI-R interview
• No DSM-IV (APA, 1994) diagnosis, according to DISC interview
• No scores in the clinical range on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Teacher Rating Form (TRF)
• IQ \> 70

You may not qualify if:

• Major illness of the cardiovascular, the endocrine, the pulmonal or the gastrointestinal system
• Presence of metal objects in or around the body (pacemaker, dental braces)
• History of or present neurological disorder

Sponsors & Collaborators

• UMC Utrecht: lead

Study Sites (1)

Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht

Utrecht, 3584CX, Netherlands

Location

Related Links

• Lab homepage with info for subjects (in Dutch)

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autistic Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Sarah Durston, Ph.D.

  Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Herman van Engeland, M.D. Ph.D.

  Rudolf Magnust Institute of Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht

  STUDY CHAIR

Central Study Contacts

Sarah Durston, Ph.D.

CONTACT

+31 30 250 8161; S.Durston@umcutrecht.nl

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: OTHER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 19, 2007
• First Posted: April 20, 2007
• Study Start: December 1, 2007
• Last Updated: April 20, 2007

Record last verified: 2007-04

Locations

NL (1)