Functional MRI of Cognitive Control in Autism

This study is not yet open for participant recruitment.

Verified by UMC Utrecht, April 2007

First Received: April 19, 2007 No Changes Posted

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

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

Study Type:	Observational
Study Design:	Natural History, Cross-Sectional, Case Control, Prospective Study
Official Title:	Functional MRI of Cognitive Control in Autism

Resource links provided by NLM:

MedlinePlus related topics: Autism

U.S. FDA Resources

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
Utrecht, Netherlands, 3584CX

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

Additional 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

No publications provided

Study ID Numbers:	06-179
Study First Received:	April 19, 2007
Last Updated:	April 19, 2007
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00463164 History of Changes
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
Autism

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive
Mental Disorders
Autistic Disorder
Mental Disorders Diagnosed in Childhood

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on July 06, 2009