Functional MRI of Cognitive Control in Autism

April 19, 2007 updated by: UMC Utrecht
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.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment

90

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Netherlands
      • Utrecht, Netherlands, 3584CX
        • Dept. of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

6 years to 12 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

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

Publications and helpful links

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Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

December 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 19, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 19, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

April 20, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 20, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 19, 2007

Last Verified

April 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 06-179

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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