 |
Kim M. Dalton Ph.D., University of Wisconsin - M Assistant Scientist, Waisman Center Contact Information Waisman Center UW-Madison 1500 Highland Avenue Madison, WI 53705 263-8913 kmdalton@wisc.edu www.brainimaging.waisman.wisc.edu |
My current research focuses on
underlying brain structure and function associated with autism and related
developmental differences/disabilities such as fragile X and William's
syndrome. This research is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Richard
Davidson in the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging & Behavior. We've
completed three in a series of studies investigating the underlying brain
mechanisms associated with discrimination of facial expressions of emotions,
facial recognition, and facial identification in individuals with autism,
fragile X syndrome and Williams syndrome compared to typically developing
individuals. For these studies we also recorded eye-movements and gaze-fixation
patterns in the participants while they were in the scanner and were presented
with human faces and face features. In addition, we recorded electrodermal
activation (EDA) and pupillometry in the scanner, both as measures of
sympathetic arousal in response to the faces and face features. In addition to
investigating brain function, a number of other investigators in the Waisman
Laboratory for Brain Imaging & Behavior have been using the data from the brain
structural and functional scans to investigate group differences in brain
structure and connectivity. Many interesting findings have emerged from these
studies resulting in numerous publications and conference presentations and have
advanced our theoretical model of social/emotion function in autism and related
developmental disabilities. I am currently starting up our 4th and 5th follow-up
fMRI studies on autism and related developmental disabilities focusing on
multisensory integration and gaze-fixation. My overall career research goal is
to investigate the central and peripheral physiological profiles associated with
a number of developmental disabilities and to eventually relate these
physiological/behavioral phenotypes to underlying genetic factors.
Dalton, K.M., Nacewicz, B.M.,
Johnstone, T., Schaefer, H.S., Gernsbacher, A., Goldsmith H.H., Alexander, A.L.
& Davidson, R.J.
Gaze-fixation and the neural circuitry of face processing in
autism. (2005). Nature Neuroscience, 8, 519-526.
Dalton, K.M., Kalin, N., Grist, T.M., Davidson, R.J. (2005).
Neural-cardiac
coupling in threat-evoked anxiety. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17,
969-980.
Chung, M., Robbins, S.M., Dalton, K.M., Davidson, Alexander, A.L. & Evans, A.C.
Cortical thickness analysis in autism with heat kernel smoothing. (2005). NeuroImage, 25. 1256-1265.
Chung, M.K., Dalton, K.M., Alexander, A.L. & Davidson, R.J. (2004).
Less white
matter concentration in autism: 2D voxel-based morphometry. NeuroImage, 23,
242-251.
Click to search National Library of Medicine and PubMed for other publications by Dr.
Dalton
Last Updated 7/20/2006
by rowley@waisman.wisc.edu