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Autism ResearchWhat have we found? Where are we going?
Elizabeth Redcay, Ph.D.BrainTrust Autism LectureNovember 12, 2009
Outline
Overview of Current Directions
Highlight Two of Current Directions
Future Directions
Current Directions
1. Autism is heterogeneous
2. Autism is a systems disorder
3. Autistic individuals show enhanced
perceptual processing
4. Autism is a developmental disorder
5. ‘Can vs. do’: Autistic individuals can do
more than they do do
2. Autism is a systems disorder
I. Overview of Current Directions
Belmonte et al., 2004
AutismControl
3. Autism is characterized by enhanced as well as impaired abilities
Emphasis on deficits in social and language domains
Enhanced perceptual processing
I. Overview of Current Directions
4. Autism is a developmental disorder
Autism emerges early
Majority of brain studies conducted on adults
I. Overview of Current Directions
Brain Size Differences are Maximal in First Few Years of Life in Autism
II. Highlight: Developmental Disorder
Inconsistent differences in Amygdala Volume
Slide courtesy of Cindy Schumann
II. Highlight: Developmental Disorder
Amygdala volume changes by age
Schumann et al., 2004
II. Highlight: Developmental Disorder
4. Developmental: Summary
The typical child undergoes protracted brain growth
Brain growth in autism is too fast too early
II. Highlight: Developmental Disorder
5. Can vs. Do
Real-world impairments in social interaction
Implicit (passive) studies reveal differences in ‘social brain’ areas
Explicit studies often do not Salient in social domains: face
perception, self-reflection, irony comprehension, theory of mind
I. Overview of Current Directions
Can vs. Do: Face Perception
Fus
II. Highlight: Can vs Do
> =Fusiform Face Area
Control ASD
Pierce et al., 2001
Can vs. Do: Face Perception
Fus
II. Highlight: Can vs Do
> =Fusiform Face Area
Control ASD
Pierce et al., 2004
Can vs. do: Irony Comprehension
II. Highlight: Can vs Do
CON
ASD
Can vs. do: Irony Comprehension
II. Highlight: Can vs Do
Neutral Instructions
Explicit Instructions
CON
ASD
Can vs. do: Theory of Mind
II. Highlight: Can vs Do Senju et al., 2009
Can vs. do: Theory of Mind
EXPLICIT
Where will Sally look?
Asp and Con give correct answer (where she thinks it is)
IMPLICIT
Spontaneous looking differs
II. Highlight: Can vs Do
Senju et al., 2009
4. Can vs Do: Summary
Engaging in social cognition is automatic for typical individuals
This spontaneous engagement is widely absent in ASD
Explicit social cognition can be elicited In some cases the appropriate brain
regions supporting these functions are recruited
Critical in understanding and designing future studies of ASD
II. Highlight: Developmental Disorder
Outline
Overview of Current Directions
Highlight Two of Current Directions Autism is a developmental disorder Can vs. Do
Future Directions
✓
✓
Future Directions
Early ages and developmental change
Connectivity between regions
More naturalistic experiments
Links between genes, brain, and behavior
III. Future Directions
Thank you!
1. Autism is heterogeneous
Behaviorally Severely mentally retarded to
exceptionally bright Genetically
Highly heritable Polygenic disorder
Neurologically Between-subject differences large
I. Overview of Current Directions
