PNAS：大腦掃描中的自閉癥特征神經信號

　　一項研究說，科學家發現了大腦活動的一種模式可能是發展出自閉癥譜系障礙（ASD）的遺傳脆弱性的特征。這種神經發育障礙削弱了社會互動與交流，而且已經被證明會破壞大腦解釋其他人的運動（稱為“生物運動”）的能力。

　　Kevin A. Pelphrey及其同事使用功能磁共振成像（fMRI）掃描了自閉癥兒童及其沒有自閉癥的兄弟姐妹在觀看生物運動的動畫的時候的大腦。這組作者把他們與對照組進行了比較，結果觀察到了3個獨特的“神經特征”：自閉癥譜系障礙（ASD）兒童與未患此病的兄弟姐妹共有的大腦活動減少區域；自閉癥譜系障礙（ASD）兒童特有的活動減少區域；以及未患此病的兄弟姐妹特有的活動增加區域。

　　這組作者說，第一個特征與可能發展出此病的遺傳脆弱性有關，而第二個特征意味著活躍的自閉癥譜系障礙（ASD）。這組作者提出，未患此病的兄弟姐妹大腦區域活動增加的第三個特征可能補償了這些兒童繼承到的缺陷。這組作者說，該研究可能對更好地理解自閉癥譜系障礙（ASD）破壞的神經系統網絡以及這種疾病的遺傳和分子病因學做出貢獻。（生物谷Bioon.com）

　　生物谷推薦英文摘要：

　　PNAS doi: 10.1073/pnas.1010412107

　　Neural signatures of autism

　　Martha D. Kaisera, Caitlin M. Hudaca, Sarah Shultza,b, Su Mei Leea,b, Celeste Cheunga, Allison M. Berkena, Ben Deena, Naomi B. Pitskela, Daniel R. Sugruea, Avery C. Voosa, Celine A. Saulniera, Pamela Ventolaa, Julie M. Wolfa, Ami Klina, Brent C. Vander Wyka, and Kevin A. Pelphreya,b,1

　　aYale Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, and bDepartment of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520

　　Functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain responses to biological motion in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), unaffected siblings (US) of children with ASD, and typically developing (TD) children has revealed three types of neural signatures: (i) state activity, related to the state of having ASD that characterizes the nature of disruption in brain circuitry; (ii) trait activity, reflecting shared areas of dysfunction in US and children with ASD, thereby providing a promising neuroendophenotype to facilitate efforts to bridge genomic complexity and disorder heterogeneity; and (iii) compensatory activity, unique to US, suggesting a neural system–level mechanism by which US might compensate for an increased genetic risk for developing ASD. The distinct brain responses to biological motion exhibited by TD children and US are striking given the identical behavioral profile of these two groups. These findings offer far-reaching implications for our understanding of the neural systems underlying autism.