# Modeling Social and Non-Social Learning in Autism

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $283,362

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Advances in genetics, molecular biology, and cognitive neuroscience offer promise towards personalized
treatment and improved outcomes in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the promise
of precision medicine has been hindered by a lack of mechanistic models that explain phenotypic and etiological
heterogeneity; instead of using such models to identify subgroups likely to respond to specific treatments, the
field relies on availability of service, trial-and-error, and clinical judgment to make treatment decisions. This is a
major barrier to effective treatment of ASD. This project addresses this problem by integrating mathematical
models of behavior and brain activity across adolescent development, in order to establish a neurocognitive
model that can successfully predict individual adolescents' social and nonsocial learning profiles at key
developmental time-points. Specifically, this work compares the suitability of various reinforcement learning
models to capture selective deficits in social learning of adolescents with ASD, as well as variability in both social
and nonsocial learning across typically developing (TD) adolescents and those with ASD. Identifying how these
model-based predictions are implemented in brain circuits may allow for characterization of the neural
architecture underlying learning in therapeutically relevant contexts. This project focuses on the understudied
role of the cerebellar posterior lobe in learning processes of interest, given recent research indicating this region's
involvement in updating social information. The proposed work will identify and characterize neurocognitive
variability in the substrates of learning within ASD, with the long-term goal of applying these models to inform,
refine, and individualize diagnosis, prognosis, education, and treatment of youth with ASD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10077585
- **Project number:** 5R01MH116252-02
- **Recipient organization:** GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Allison Elizabeth Jack
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $283,362
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-01-01 → 2024-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10077585

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10077585, Modeling Social and Non-Social Learning in Autism (5R01MH116252-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10077585. Licensed CC0.

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