Correlation between gray matter volume / white matter volume and anxiety in school children with ASD characteristics

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K12734
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Childhood science (childhood environment science)
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo (2018); Keio University (2016-2017); National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (2015)
• Principal Investigator: Asano Michiko 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 特任研究員 (50750064)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: MRI / 灰白質 / 白質 / 子ども / メンタルヘルス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Children with ASD traits have been suggested to be associated with anxiety symptoms and academic performance and may not be able to perform adequately. This study aimed to clarify the mechanisms of anxiety and brain development in children with ASD characteristics. The subjects were 114 persons, and their age was 11.6 years (± 2.5), and IQ 108.4 (± 14.56). Questionnaires collected Strength and Difficulty Questionnaires(SDQ) and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and imaged brain MRI. As a result, significant positive correlations were shown　between　rGMV in the right angular gyrus, between rGMV in the left parahippocampal gyrus and prosocial, and between rWMV in the right superior frontal gyrus and conduct problems, respectively. On the other hand, a significant negative correlation was shown between SRS traits and GMV inright angular gyrus .

Free Research Field

MRI

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

発達期の小児において、自分で目標を決め自己向上を目指すことは、子どもの認知発達で重要とされる達成動機と関連していると考えられている。このような、自信に繋がる経験をすることは、心の安定を保ち健やかな発達をする上で重要と考える。しかしながら、ASD特性を有する児は、不安症状をもつ傾向が示唆されており、心の状態が脳発達に影響を与える可能性が考えられる。したがって、心の健康と脳発達の観点から、どのような時期に、どのような生活支援および学習支援をしていくことが重要なのか、脳科学の立場から家庭や教育現場への提言に寄与することができる可能性がある。