Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Lurie Center for Autism, Lexington, MA, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2019 Jul;49(7):3036-3044. doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04010-3.
Imaging technologies such as positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) present unparalleled opportunities to investigate the neural basis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, challenges such as deficits in social interaction, anxiety around new experiences, impaired language abilities, and hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli make participating in neuroimaging studies challenging for individuals with ASD. In this commentary, we describe the existent training protocols for preparing individuals with ASD for PET/MRI scans and our own experience developing a training protocol to facilitate the inclusion of low-functioning adults with ASD in PET-MRI studies. We hope to raise awareness of the need for more information exchange between research groups about lessons learned in this context in order to include the entire disease spectrum in neuroimaging studies.
成像技术，如正电子发射断层扫描（PET）和磁共振成像（MRI），为研究自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的神经基础提供了无与伦比的机会。然而，参与神经影像学研究对于 ASD 患者来说具有挑战性，因为他们存在社交互动缺陷、对新体验的焦虑、语言能力受损以及对感官刺激的过度敏感等问题。在这篇评论中，我们描述了现有的用于准备 ASD 个体进行 PET/MRI 扫描的培训方案，以及我们开发一种培训方案的经验，以促进低功能 ASD 成年人参与 PET-MRI 研究。我们希望提高对以下方面的认识：需要在研究小组之间更多地交流经验教训，以便将整个疾病谱纳入神经影像学研究。
