Imaging Depression in Adults With ASD
Abstract
Aim A: To determine if the immunologic bias in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) confers greater risk for co-occurring depression than severity of ASD. If depression severity is associated with increased cytokine levels (reported in non-ASD adults), this would support the notion that depression is a valid clinical syndrome within the ASD clinical phenotype, but not necessarily the same disorder as in neurotypical populations. Aim B: To determine if depression symptoms are associated with clinical features similar to previous research about depression in neurotypical adults (e.g., brain activation in response to social stress and correlation with cytokine levels and depression severity). If findings are consistent, this would support the notion that depression may be a "true" co-morbidity. Method: Participants will be men (N=50) 18-45 years old with IQ greater than or equal to 80 and ASD diagnosis, no previous head trauma, no seizure or autoimmune disorder, and no current immunologic medication. Participants will be complete diagnostic and psychosocial assessments and a blood draw. A significant other will also complete emotion symptom measures. Individuals with low and high depression symptoms will be selected for participation the imaging phase. Functional scans will be acquired during a social acceptance/rejection task (Cyberball), followed by an exploratory hedonic reward task, Monitory Incentive Delay. The research is in progress with no results to report to date.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 30, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1001207
Entities
People
- Kenneth Gadow