Project Summary

Mariana Lazar, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2004) of University of Wisconsin, Madison, aims to use Diffusion Tensor Imaging and white matter tractography to investigate the integrity and organization of white matter (WM) pathways that connect cortical regions involved in emotion processing and which may be altered in autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). These techniques have been shown to be sensitive to WM structural abnormalities in a variety of pathologies. In the proposed study, Dr. Lazar will study the major WM pathways of the limbic, frontal and temporal lobes in people with ASD and controls. Dr. Lazar will also correlate WM structural integrity and results in people with ASD using fMRI that reveal abnormal activation patterns in response to emotional face stimuli. Characterizing white matter integrity may lead to a better understanding of ASD and the abnormal brain activation patterns observed in ASD.

Program Area: PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS\Autism

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