Typical and atypical development of cerebral substrates engaging in language and social cognition

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H01691
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cognitive science
• Research Institution: Keio University
• Principal Investigator: MINAGAWA Yasuyo 慶應義塾大学, 文学部(日吉), 教授 (90521732)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 檀 一平太 中央大学, 理工学部, 教授 (20399380) ; 太田 真理子 東京学芸大学, 国際教育センター, 研究員 (50599412) ; 山本 淳一 慶應義塾大学, 文学部(三田), 教授 (60202389)
• Research Collaborator: ARIMITSU Takeshi ; KUMAZAKI Hirokazu
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 自閉スペクトラム症 / リスク児 / 脳機能結合 / fNIRS / 言語獲得 / 社会認知 / 母子愛着

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The present study aimed to reveal typical and atypical development of language and social cognitive abilities and their correlates of cerebral substrates in human infants. Further, we tried to extract early marker of developmental disabilities such as autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) by correlating early neural and behavioral markers and later general development. To this end, we examined typically developing infants (TD) and infants-at-risk for ASD longitudinally from their age of 3 months-old to 3-years-old. One of our aims of the study was to construct a cohort of infant-at-risk and we successfully recruited about 80 infants for our cohort who participated in our longitudinal experiments. The results showed various group differences in brain connectivity and responses and eye movement between TD and ASD groups. Furthermore, we found some candidates of early behavioral markers for developmental disabilities which involve fine-motor movements and responsiveness to social cues.

Free Research Field

発達認知神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年，社会的にも自閉症スペクトラム症を含む発達障害の問題が着目されるようになってきた。同時に，それら児童に対する発達支援や子育て支援についても重要視されてきている。そのような状況で，本研究は客観的なエビデンスを基にした発達障害の評価や支援を可能にしようとする基礎研究である。本研究により言語や社会性についての脳の発達メカニズムが明らかになれば，非典型的な発達を見出す重要な知識となる。早期発見は早期支援につながり，発達障害の予後を良好にする。同時に本研究は人間の言語コミュニケーション発達の脳内基盤という基礎的な知見を提供する。