A Longitudinal Follow-up Imaging Study on Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Condition: Autism Spectrum Disorder
MeSH terms: Autistic Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The significance of this project is the first longitudinal study to investigate the changes
      of neurocognitive functions of children and adolescents with ASD and to identify the
      potential neuroimaging endophenotype (biomarkers) for ASD in Asian with advanced imaging
      technique (Tract-based automatic analysis, TBAA; multi-echo resting-state fMRI in addition to
      single-echo resting-state fMRI). The success of this project will fill the gap of our
      understanding of longitudinal changes of brain function by neuropsychological and imaging
      approaches of ASD in Han Chinese in Taiwan, and is anticipated to facilitate the progress of
      translational research in ASD.
    

Detailed description: 
      Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common severe, clinically and genetically heterogeneous
      childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorder. Due to its high prevalence, typical autistic
      symptoms, and severe lifelong impairment without effective prevention and treatment, the
      developmental change of brain functions in individuals with this study has been recognized as
      one of the key topics of ASD. The goal of this project is to prospectively investigate the
      stability and changes of brain functions assessed by neuropsychological tests and neuroimages
      in a cohort of children and adolescents with ASD who had the first assessment 3-5 years ago.

      Specific Aims: To investigate the stability and changes of neuropsychological and structural
      and functional connectivity among children and adolescents with ASD as compared to age- and
      sex-matched typically developing (TD) controls; and to identify predictors for these
      neurocognitive changes across a 3-5 follow-up period.

      The investigators will prospectively follow up 70 ASDs and 70 TDs for reassessments of
      clinical symptoms, neuropsychological functions, and structural and functional brain
      connectivity. The assessments include ASD symptoms (ASD only: Autism Diagnostic
      Interview-Revised, Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale; all: Social Responsiveness Scale
      (SRS), Social Communication Questionnaires (SCQ), Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)), other
      psychiatric disorders (The Chinese version of the Kiddie Schedule of Schizophrenia and
      Affective Disorder Scale-Epidemiologic version, K-SADS-E), neuropsychological functions
      (Conner's Continuous Performance Test) and MRI assessments (T1 and T2 templates, Diffusion
      Spectrum Imaging, resting-state fMRI).
    

Observational model: Case-Control
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        70 ASDs, aged 12-20, from the cohort of ASD established by previous imaging studies
        supported by National Science Council(NSC),Taiwan (now Ministry of Science and Technology,
        MOST), who consented to this follow-up study at their first assessments in 2010-2014 and 70
        age-, and sex-matched TD.
      
Keywords: neuropsychological function; neuroimage; developmental changes