# Motor abnormalities and functional brain mechanisms in autism spectrum disorder

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LAWRENCE · 2020 · $470,911

## Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex disorder for which current treatments are limited. It is defined
by social deficits and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors, but the majority of patients also show
one or more comorbid conditions. This diversity suggests that multiple distinct mechanisms likely underpin
the many clinical issues of ASD. One approach to determining these mechanisms is to identify discrete,
fundamental components of the complex clinical phenomena that define ASD, and then clarify the neural bases
of these components. Motor behaviors are particularly promising for this purpose because: 1) They are critical
building blocks for social and cognitive development; 2) motor deficits are common in ASD and associated with
worse social, cognitive, and daily living skills, and; 3) they are supported by neocortical, striatal, and cerebellar
brain networks implicated in post-mortem and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of ASD. The
proposed studies will test the hypothesis that fundamental motor deficits and their neural processes are related
to discrete clinical symptoms of ASD. Individuals with ASD are predicted to show deficits during continuous
motor behaviors in which they must reactively adjust motor output in response to sensory feedback. They also
are expected to show increased rates of initial force production and motor dysmetria during rapid motor
behaviors. Continuous motor deficits are hypothesized to be selectively associated with abnormal activation in
and functional connectivity of cerebellar-cortical processes. Rapid motor deficits are expected to be selectively
associated with abnormal activation in and functional connectivity of striatal-cortical processes. The proposed
studies will identify the clinical issues associated with these motor-brain deficits in order to develop a more
mechanistic understanding of ASD that can guide the development and validation of treatments targeting
fundamental component processes rather than complex clinical symptoms.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9934276
- **Project number:** 5R01MH112734-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS LAWRENCE
- **Principal Investigator:** MATTHEW W MOSCONI
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $470,911
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9934276

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9934276, Motor abnormalities and functional brain mechanisms in autism spectrum disorder (5R01MH112734-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9934276. Licensed CC0.

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