Functional MRI of Cognitive Control in Autism - Full Text View

Purpose

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.

Condition

Autism

MedlinePlus related topics:

Autism

U.S. FDA Resources

Study Type:	Observational
Study Design:	Natural History, Cross-Sectional, Case Control, Prospective Study

Official Title:	Functional MRI of Cognitive Control in Autism

Further study details as provided by UMC Utrecht:

Estimated Enrollment:	90
Study Start Date:	December 2007

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	6 Years to 12 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Aged 6 - 12 years at inclusion

Inclusion criteria for subjects with autism

DSM-IV (APA, 1994) diagnosis of autism, according to ADI-R interview

Inclusion criteria for controls

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

Exclusion Criteria:

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

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00463164

Contacts


Contact: Sarah Durston, Ph.D.	+31 30 250 8161	S.Durston@umcutrecht.nl

Locations


Netherlands
	Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht	Not yet recruiting
	Utrecht, Netherlands, 3584CX
	Principal Investigator: Tamar van Raalten, M.Sc.

Sponsors and Collaborators

UMC Utrecht

Investigators


Principal Investigator:	Sarah Durston, Ph.D.	Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht

Study Chair:	Herman van Engeland, M.D. Ph.D.	Rudolf Magnust Institute of Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht

More Information

Lab homepage with info for subjects (in Dutch) This link exits the ClinicalTrials.gov site

Lab homepage with info in English This link exits the ClinicalTrials.gov site

Study ID Numbers:	06-179
First Received:	April 19, 2007
Last Updated:	April 19, 2007
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00463164
Health Authority:	Netherlands: The Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (CCMO)

Keywords provided by UMC Utrecht:

functional MRI

Study placed in the following topic categories:

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive

Developmental Disabilities

Mental Disorders

Autistic Disorder

Mental Disorders Diagnosed in Childhood

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on October 10, 2008

Sponsored by:	UMC Utrecht
Information provided by:	UMC Utrecht
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00463164