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Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database
Project Element Element Description

Project Title

Project Title

Typical and atypical development of frontal lobe systems and the maturation of social cognitive function.

Principal Investigator

Principal Investigator

Taylor, Margot

Description

Description

Social cognitive functions refer generally to the ability to behave in social settings. Two important underlying skills are emotional perception and the ability to inhibit inappropriate (bad) behaviour. These abilities are largely controlled by areas of the frontal lobes of the brain which develop until adulthood. We have limited knowledge of frontal lobe development and its relation to how children acquire social skills, but we know that frontal lobe abnormalities seriously disrupt social cognitive functions. We will determine the development of these abilities, measuring brain structure, brain function and brain connectivity while children are completing an emotional processing task and an inhibition task. We will study 7-16yr-olds typically developing children as well as children born very preterm and children with autism. These clinical groups each affect about 1/100 children. Both clinical groups have significant difficulties with social behaviour as well as distinct frontal lobe structural abnormalities. Structural brain imaging (MRI/DTI) will provide measures of grey and white matter, and of structural brain connections. Functional brain imaging (using magnetoencephalography (MEG) will provide the timing of brain activity, brain dynamics and the strength of functional brain connections. By studying typical children, we will understand the normal development of these important social skills and the role of frontal lobe maturation; the two clinical groups will allow us to distinguish structural and functional brain abnormalities related to their differing disturbances in social functions. We know that failure to learn or acquire adequate social skills has a devastating impact on an individual's personal and professional life. Increasing our knowledge of these problems, the underlying brain processes and their critical periods, will improve our ability to develop and fine-tune appropriate interventions for these two groups of vulnerable children.

Funder

Funder

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Funding Country

Funding Country

Canada

Fiscal Year Funding

Fiscal Year Funding

124053

Current Award Period

Current Award Period

2012-2017

Strategic Plan Question

Strategic Plan Question

Question 2: What is the Biology Underlying ASD?

Funder’s Project Link

Funder’s Project Link

No URL available.

Institution

Institution

Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto)

Institute Location

Institute Location

Canada

Project Number

Project Number

257698

Government or Private

Government or Private

Government

History/Related Projects

History/Related Projects

N/A

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