Autism Neuroimaging Collaborative Research Meeting

Many autism research groups have neuroimaging research projects, which utilize magnetic resonance imaging for structural, functional, and metabolic imaging, included in their programs. Centers are currently using their own protocols for data acquisition and analysis and many of studies from these groups have yielded inconsistent results. The lack of consistency may result from relatively small sample sizes, differences in subject characteristics, differences in scan acquisition details, differences in fMRI task paradigms, and differences in data analysis techniques.

This meeting provided the opportunity for researchers to discuss possible options for making the most meaningful use of data already collected at various sites and to plan for future studies whereby more consistent methods of data collection and analysis will be adopted by as many sites as possible. Researchers discussed development of the computational infrastructure needed to support data-sharing among various groups, including the possibility of implementing a peer-to-peer neuroimaging network.