2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
A study of attentional functions and social cognition in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
| Project/Area Number |
21830176
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Special needs education
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| Research Institution | National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry |
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Principal Investigator |
KATAGIRI Masatoshi 独立行政法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 精神保健研究所・児童思春期精神保健研究部, 流動研究員 (00549503)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2009 – 2010
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| Keywords | 自閉症スペクトラム障害 / 注意 / 社会性 / 社会的応答性 |
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of this study is to discuss a mechanism between social attentional functions and social cognitions in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
In 2009, this study investigated "Mirroring Effect" in 2- and 3-year-olds with ASD. As a result, although the mirroring effect differed by age, the effect was observed in both 2- and 3-year-olds with ASD. In addition, the overall magnitude of the mirroring effect differed by IQ, but not by the severity of autistic symptoms. Mirroring interaction is promising as an early intervention for a wide range of children with ASD. This study was published in the international journal (Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders).
In 2010, this study investigated perceive information processing about social stimuli in the temporal cortex. Children with ASD tend to attend to social stimuli less than typically developing children, particularly the auditory modality of mother's voice. Although this reduction in auditory experiences may influence the development of language, emotion, and communication in children with ASD. Change in cerebral oxygenation in response to each auditory stimulus was measured using multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). In the control group, the temporal regions showed significantly greater activation in response to familiar and unfamiliar voice than to environmental sounds, and the left temporal regions showed significantly greater activation for familiar voice than unfamiliar voice. In children with ASD, however, neither familiar nor unfamiliar voice activated the temporal regions. This lack of voice-selective temporal cortex activation in children with ASD indicates that they follow an abnormal developmental course in which cortical maturation differs from the typical left-biased lateralization related to voice processing.
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Research Products
(4 results)
