新的研究有助于科學(xué)家理解患自我封閉癥的兒童為何在解決問(wèn)題方面存在困難。

使用功能性核磁共振掃描(fMRI)技術(shù)，來(lái)自Howard Florey研究所(Melbourne, Australia; www.hfi.unimelb.edu.au)的科研人員最近證實(shí)患自我封閉癥的兒童，負(fù)責(zé)執(zhí)行功能的大腦深層部位缺乏活性(例如，注意力、推理、和解決問(wèn)題)。Ross Cunnington醫(yī)生主持了這項(xiàng)研究，他報(bào)道說(shuō)已知自我封閉癥具有生物學(xué)原因，但是神經(jīng)掃描研究明確顯示大腦功能失調(diào)的區(qū)域可以說(shuō)明患自我封閉癥的兒童為何在執(zhí)行功能方面存在問(wèn)題。

“關(guān)于自我封閉癥兒童為何出現(xiàn)執(zhí)行功能損害的發(fā)現(xiàn)，有助于研發(fā)更好的治療方法，改善患者的注意力并有助于解決疾病問(wèn)題。”Cunnington醫(yī)生說(shuō)。“值得注意的是，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)尾狀核的活性在自我封閉癥的男孩中降低，這是連接大腦額前葉通路的關(guān)鍵部分。這些研究結(jié)果具有重要意義，因?yàn)轭~前葉大腦通路在解決問(wèn)題和作出決策的過(guò)程中，在維持注意力、計(jì)劃與設(shè)定目標(biāo)、以及在記憶中維持目標(biāo)的過(guò)程中發(fā)揮極其重要的作用。”

Cunnington醫(yī)生與其他研究機(jī)構(gòu)合作，評(píng)估了注意缺陷多動(dòng)障礙(ADHD)兒童，發(fā)現(xiàn)了注意缺陷多動(dòng)障礙(ADHD)兒童和自我封閉癥兒童的特定執(zhí)行功能區(qū)域損害的相似之處。

這項(xiàng)自我封閉癥兒童的研究在11～18歲患自我封閉癥或者Asperger綜合征的兒童以及作為對(duì)照的無(wú)疾病青少年中進(jìn)行。這些研究結(jié)果發(fā)表在即將出版的《美國(guó)精神病學(xué)期刊》之上。

fMRI Provides Insights into Autism
 
New research is helping to scientists to understand why children with autism spectrum disorders (autism) have problem-solving difficulties.

Utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology, scientists from the Howard Florey Institute (Melbourne, Australia; www.hfi.unimelb.edu.au) have recently demonstrated that children with autism have less activation in the deep regions of the brain responsible for executive function (i.e., attention, reasoning, and problem-solving). Dr. Ross Cunnington, who led the study, reported that autism was known to have a biologic cause, but this neuroimaging study distinctly showed the area of the dysfunction in the brain that accounted for why children with autism have problems with their executive function.

“Discovering why children with autism have impaired executive function may help develop better therapies to improve their ability to pay attention and solve problems,” Dr. Cunnington said. “Specifically, we found that activity in the caudate nucleus, a critical part of circuits that link the prefrontal cortex of the brain, is reduced in boys with autism. These findings have important implications, since prefrontal brain circuits play a critical role in maintaining and focusing attention, planning and setting goals, and keeping goals in memory during problem-solving and decision-making.”

Dr. Cunnington, collaborating with several other institutions, has also been evaluating children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has found similarities in the impairment of certain executive functions in children with ADHD and autism.

The autism study was performed with boys aged 11 to 18 years who had autism or Asperger’s disorder, as well teenage boys without the disorder, who were the controls. The findings of this research are to be published in an upcoming issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.