Grant description:

Attention and memory (learning) are often impaired in individuals with autism, particularly in lower-functioning individuals. Problems with generalized attention (alertness), directed attention, explicit learning, and implicit learning have all been identified. Normally, many different tasks are used to measure these functions. However, valid measures of these underlying functions can be obtained through performance on two relatively simple tasks that such individuals can perform: stimulus-response association learning (both visual-visual and auditory-visual) and the sequential reaction time task (which requires only touching a target or touching a target predictively). Determination of these underlying abilities is certain to be enhanced when standard response recording is augmented by observations of response speed, posture, head position, and gaze direction. Accordingly, these tasks will be used in the current proposal, tailored to each individual's level of functioning. Training/testing will be done on a specialized computer system (Foundations), which automatically assigns materials, runs the tasks, and collects all data in a relational database format. Video monitoring will be done concurrently with task performance. A total of 20 subjects with autism will be tested (10 low-functioning, 10 high-functioning). Testing will be repeated at least once, in different physical surroundings and with different examiners, to test reliability. Validity will be established by construct and by comparison within- and across-subjects and across methods (e.g., manual response vs. gaze direction). These measures and methods are expected to be useful in detailed assessments of the components of attention and memory in large-scale clinical trials.

Funded In partnership with Repligen Corporation