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Offering to Share: How to Put Heads Together in Autism Neuroimaging

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Abstract

Data sharing in autism neuroimaging presents scientific, technical, and social obstacles. We outline the desiderata for a data-sharing scheme that combines imaging with other measures of phenotype and with genetics, defines requirements for comparability of derived data and recommendations for raw data, outlines a core protocol including multispectral structural and diffusion-tensor imaging and optional extensions, provides for the collection of prospective, confound-free normative data, and extends sharing and collaborative development not only to data but to the analytical tools and methods applied to these data. A theme in these requirements is the need to preserve creative approaches and risk-taking within individual laboratories at the same time as common standards are provided for these laboratories to build on.

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Acknowledgements

This statement is the product of the Neuroimaging Summit convened at the University of California Los Angeles, 23–24 January 2006, by Cure Autism Now. We are grateful for financial support from Christopher and Jill Escher, without whose generosity this meeting could not have taken place and these collaborations would not have begun to be explored. In addition to the listed authors, Cure Autism Now are grateful to Dr Gerald Fischbach for his input during the meeting’s discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853-4401, USA

    Matthew K. Belmonte

  2. Department of Neurology, University of California Los Angeles, Box 957085, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-7085, USA

    John C. Mazziotta

  3. Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara Street, Webster Hall, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213-2593, USA

    Nancy J. Minshew

  4. McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 University Street, Montreal, Canada, H3A 2B4

    Alan C. Evans

  5. Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, Center for Autism Research, 8110 La Jolla Shores Drive #201, La Jolla, CA, 92037-3100, USA

    Eric Courchesne

  6. Department of Radiology, University of Washington, 1100 NE 45 Street, Suite 555, Seattle, WA, 98105-4683, USA

    Stephen R. Dager

  7. Brain Mapping Center, University of California Los Angeles, RNRC 3149, 710 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1769, USA

    Susan Y. Bookheimer

  8. Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Box 357115, Seattle, WA, 98195-7115, USA

    Elizabeth H. Aylward

  9. MIND Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95817-2308, USA

    David G. Amaral

  10. Department of Human Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, 695 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-7088, USA

    Rita M. Cantor

  11. Departments of Pediatrics and Radiology, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, PET Center, 3901 Beaubien Street, Detroit, MI, 48201-2119, USA

    Diane C. Chugani

  12. Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0662, USA

    Anders M. Dale

  13. Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, 3600 Market Street, Suite 380, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-2641, USA

    Christos Davatzikos

  14. Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina, 219 Sitterson Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3175, USA

    Guido Gerig

  15. Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, 149 13th Street, Room 6012, Charles Town, MA, 02129-2020, USA

    Martha R. Herbert

  16. Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, 421 Wakara Way, Suite 143, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108-3528, USA

    Janet E. Lainhart

  17. Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK

    Declan G. Murphy

  18. Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, 413 Medical School Wing E, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3366, USA

    Joseph Piven

  19. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305-5795, USA

    Allan L. Reiss

  20. Child Study Center, Yale University, Box 207900, New Haven, CT, 06520-7900, USA

    Robert T. Schultz

  21. Neural Systems Group, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Room 2561, Charlestown, MA, 02129-2020, USA

    Thomas A. Zeffiro

  22. Tourette Syndrome Association, 42-40 Bell Boulevard, Suite 205, Bayside, NY, 11361-2861, USA

    Susan Levi-Pearl

  23. Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, 5455 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2250, Los Angeles, CA, 90036-4234, USA

    Clara Lajonchere

  24. Cure Autism Now, 5455 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2250, Los Angeles, CA, 90036-4272, USA

    Sophia A. Colamarino

Authors
  1. Matthew K. Belmonte
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  2. John C. Mazziotta
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  3. Nancy J. Minshew
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  4. Alan C. Evans
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  5. Eric Courchesne
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  6. Stephen R. Dager
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  7. Susan Y. Bookheimer
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  8. Elizabeth H. Aylward
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  9. David G. Amaral
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  10. Rita M. Cantor
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  11. Diane C. Chugani
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  12. Anders M. Dale
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  13. Christos Davatzikos
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  14. Guido Gerig
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  15. Martha R. Herbert
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  16. Janet E. Lainhart
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  17. Declan G. Murphy
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  18. Joseph Piven
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  19. Allan L. Reiss
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  20. Robert T. Schultz
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  21. Thomas A. Zeffiro
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  22. Susan Levi-Pearl
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  23. Clara Lajonchere
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  24. Sophia A. Colamarino
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew K. Belmonte.

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Belmonte, M.K., Mazziotta, J.C., Minshew, N.J. et al. Offering to Share: How to Put Heads Together in Autism Neuroimaging. J Autism Dev Disord 38, 2–13 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0352-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0352-2

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