Object recognition is an essential function of the human visual system, and is subserved by activation in the temporal lobe of the brain. People with autism display atypical object recognition and decreased temporal lobe activation, compared to controls, under some circumstances. We present preliminary data indicating that, in autism, the speed of object recognition and the accuracy of face recognition does not change from late childhood to adulthood. This contrasts with the typical developmental trajectory, which shows developmental improvement in object recognition skills into adulthood, consistent with the prolonged maturation of ventral stream areas. These results indicate that developmental processes during adolescence differ in autism compared to typical controls. Better characterization of this understudied developmental stage is crucial for understanding the differences found in autism. It is not clear what components of object recognition are impaired in autism, and how these relate to the phenotype and to underlying brain differences, including atypical temporal lobe function and its connectivity with other regions. The present application proposes to: 1) examine the late developmental changes in object recognition skills in children and adolescents with and without autism, and 2) better characterize changes in brain function related to this behavioral development, and how it differs in autism. We hypothesize that object recognition skills that mature late are more likely to be impaired in autism. Eye tracking will reveal whether people with autism use unique, possibly immature, strategies on many of these tasks. Neuroimaging studies will examine whether people with autism display an immature pattern of brain function, or utilize a distinct network. These studies will help identify the neural bases for atypical face recognition in autism, begin to delineate the range of deficits, and examine the developmental trajectory of these skills. More generally, describing the function in temporal lobe areas during this late development, and identifying the impact on behavior,will provide important information about how development and experience changes brain organization. These developmental changes in brain organization may affect those with neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as psychopathologies that emerge during late childhood and adolescence.

Public Health Relevance

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01MH081191-05
Application #
8423370
Study Section
Developmental Brain Disorders Study Section (DBD)
Program Officer
Gilotty, Lisa
Project Start
2009-07-03
Project End
2014-01-31
Budget Start
2013-02-01
Budget End
2014-01-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$137,338
Indirect Cost
$10,173
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Lynn, Andrew C; Padmanabhan, Aarthi; Simmonds, Daniel et al. (2018) Functional connectivity differences in autism during face and car recognition: underconnectivity and atypical age-related changes. Dev Sci 21:
Dickie, Erin W; Ameis, Stephanie H; Shahab, Saba et al. (2018) Personalized Intrinsic Network Topography Mapping and Functional Connectivity Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Biol Psychiatry 84:278-286
Fedor, Jennifer; Lynn, Andrew; Foran, William et al. (2018) Patterns of fixation during face recognition: Differences in autism across age. Autism 22:866-880
Di Martino, Adriana; O'Connor, David; Chen, Bosi et al. (2017) Enhancing studies of the connectome in autism using the autism brain imaging data exchange II. Sci Data 4:170010
O'Hearn, Kirsten; Velanova, Katerina; Lynn, Andrew et al. (2016) Abnormalities in brain systems supporting individuation and enumeration in autism. Autism Res 9:82-96
Valk, Sofie L; Di Martino, Adriana; Milham, Michael P et al. (2015) Multicenter mapping of structural network alterations in autism. Hum Brain Mapp 36:2364-73
Padmanabhan, Aarthi; Garver, Krista; O'Hearn, Kirsten et al. (2015) Developmental changes in brain function underlying inhibitory control in autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res 8:123-35
Di Martino, A; Yan, C-G; Li, Q et al. (2014) The autism brain imaging data exchange: towards a large-scale evaluation of the intrinsic brain architecture in autism. Mol Psychiatry 19:659-67
O'Hearn, Kirsten; Tanaka, James; Lynn, Andrew et al. (2014) Developmental plateau in visual object processing from adolescence to adulthood in autism. Brain Cogn 90:124-34
Padmanabhan, Aarthi; Lynn, Andrew; Foran, William et al. (2013) Age related changes in striatal resting state functional connectivity in autism. Front Hum Neurosci 7:814

Showing the most recent 10 out of 16 publications