1
|
Tseng CEJ, Canales C, Marcus RE, Parmar AJ, Hightower BG, Mullett JE, Makary MM, Tassone AU, Saro HK, Townsend PH, Birtwell K, Nowinski L, Thom RP, Palumbo ML, Keary C, Catana C, McDougle CJ, Hooker JM, Zürcher NR. In vivo translocator protein in females with autism spectrum disorder: a pilot study. Neuropsychopharmacology 2024; 49:1193-1201. [PMID: 38615126 PMCID: PMC11109261 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-024-01859-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Sex-based differences in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are well-documented, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 4:1. The clinical presentation of the core symptoms of ASD can also vary between sexes. Previously, positron emission tomography (PET) studies have identified alterations in the in vivo levels of translocator protein (TSPO)-a mitochondrial protein-in primarily or only male adults with ASD, with our group reporting lower TSPO relative to whole brain mean in males with ASD. However, whether in vivo TSPO levels are altered in females with ASD, specifically, is unknown. This is the first pilot study to measure in vivo TSPO in the brain in adult females with ASD using [11C]PBR28 PET-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Twelve adult females with ASD and 10 age- and TSPO genotype-matched controls (CON) completed one or two [11C]PBR28 PET-MRI scans. Females with ASD exhibited elevated [11C]PBR28 standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) in the midcingulate cortex and splenium of the corpus callosum compared to CON. No brain area showed lower [11C]PBR28 SUVR in females with ASD compared to CON. Test-retest over several months showed stable [11C]PBR28 SUVR across time in both groups. Elevated regional [11C]PBR28 SUVR in females with ASD stand in stark contrast to our previous findings of lower regional [11C]PBR28 SUVR in males with ASD. Preliminary evidence of regionally elevated mitochondrial protein TSPO relative to whole brain mean in ASD females may reflect neuroimmuno-metabolic alterations specific to females with ASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chieh-En Jane Tseng
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Camila Canales
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Rachel E Marcus
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Anjali J Parmar
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Baileigh G Hightower
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer E Mullett
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Meena M Makary
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Systems and Biomedical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Alison U Tassone
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Hannah K Saro
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Paige Hickey Townsend
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Kirstin Birtwell
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Lisa Nowinski
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Robyn P Thom
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Michelle L Palumbo
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Christopher Keary
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Ciprian Catana
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christopher J McDougle
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Jacob M Hooker
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA
| | - Nicole R Zürcher
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Lurie Center for Autism, Massachusetts General Hospital, Lexington, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nagai Y, Kirino E, Tanaka S, Usui C, Inami R, Inoue R, Hattori A, Uchida W, Kamagata K, Aoki S. Functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorder evaluated using rs-fMRI and DKI. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:129-145. [PMID: 38012112 PMCID: PMC11065111 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
We evaluated functional connectivity (FC) in patients with adult autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). We acquired rs-fMRI data from 33 individuals with ASD and 33 healthy controls (HC) and DKI data from 18 individuals with ASD and 17 HC. ASD showed attenuated FC between the right frontal pole (FP) and the bilateral temporal fusiform cortex (TFusC) and enhanced FC between the right thalamus and the bilateral inferior division of lateral occipital cortex, and between the cerebellar vermis and the right occipital fusiform gyrus (OFusG) and the right lingual gyrus, compared with HC. ASD demonstrated increased axial kurtosis (AK) and mean kurtosis (MK) in white matter (WM) tracts, including the right anterior corona radiata (ACR), forceps minor (FM), and right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF). In ASD, there was also a significant negative correlation between MK and FC between the cerebellar vermis and the right OFusG in the corpus callosum, FM, right SLF and right ACR. Increased DKI metrics might represent neuroinflammation, increased complexity, or disrupted WM tissue integrity that alters long-distance connectivity. Nonetheless, protective or compensating adaptations of inflammation might lead to more abundant glial cells and cytokine activation effectively alleviating the degeneration of neurons, resulting in increased complexity. FC abnormality in ASD observed in rs-fMRI may be attributed to microstructural alterations of the commissural and long-range association tracts in WM as indicated by DKI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhito Nagai
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | - Eiji Kirino
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital, 1129 Nagaoka Izunokuni-shi Shizuoka 410-2295, Japan
- Juntendo Institute of Mental Health, 700-1 Fukuroyama Koshigaya-shi Saitama 343-0032, Japan
| | - Shoji Tanaka
- Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Sophia University, 7-1 Kioi-cho Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 102-8554, Japan
| | - Chie Usui
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | - Rie Inami
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | - Reiichi Inoue
- Juntendo Institute of Mental Health, 700-1 Fukuroyama Koshigaya-shi Saitama 343-0032, Japan
| | - Aki Hattori
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | - Wataru Uchida
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | - Koji Kamagata
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | - Shigeki Aoki
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
- Faculty of Health Data Science, Juntendo University, 6-8-1 Hinode Urayasu-shi Chiba 279-0013, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Soylu F, May K, Kana R. White and gray matter correlates of theory of mind in autism: a voxel-based morphometry study. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:1671-1689. [PMID: 37452864 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02680-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in theory of mind (ToM) and social communication. Studying structural and functional correlates of ToM in the brain and how autistic and nonautistic groups differ in terms of these correlates can help with diagnosis and understanding the biological mechanisms of ASD. In this study, we investigated white matter volume (WMV) and gray matter volume (GMV) differences between matching autistic and nonautistic samples, and how these structural features relate to age and ToM skills, indexed by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RMIE) measure. The results showed widespread GMV and WMV differences between the two groups in regions crucial for social processes. The autistic group did not express the typically observed negative GMV and positive WMV correlations with age at the same level as the nonautistic group, pointing to abnormalities in developmental structural changes. In addition, we found differences between the two groups in how GMV relates to ToM, particularly in the left frontal regions, and how WMV relates to ToM, mostly in the cingulate and corpus callosum. Finally, GMV in the left insula, a region that is part of the salience network, was found to be crucial in distinguishing ToM performance between the two groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Firat Soylu
- Educational Psychology Program, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA.
| | - Kaitlyn May
- Educational Psychology Program, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA
| | - Rajesh Kana
- Department of Psychology, & the Center for Innovative Research in Autism, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
The shared white matter developmental trajectory anomalies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2023; 124:110731. [PMID: 36764642 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show common brain area abnormalities, which may contribute to the high shared co-occurrence symptoms and comorbidity of the two disorders. However, neuroanatomic anomalies in neurodevelopmental disorders may change over the course of development, and the developmental variation of these two disorders is unclear. Our study conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases to identify disorder-shared abnormalities of white matter (WM) from childhood to adulthood in ADHD and ASD. 28 ADHD and 23 ASD datasets were included in this meta-analysis and were analysed by AES-SDM to detect differences in fractional anisotropy in patients compared to typically developing individuals. Our main findings reveal the variable WM developmental trajectories in ADHD and ASD respectively, and the two disorders showed overlapping corpus callosum tract abnormalities in their development from children to adults. Furthermore, the overlapping abnormalities of the corpus callosum tract increased with age, which may be related to their gradually increasing shared symptoms and comorbidity in these two disorders.
Collapse
|
5
|
Corpus callosum organization and its implication to core and co-occurring symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:775-785. [PMID: 36867240 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02617-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by social interaction and communication deficits, repetitive behavior and often by co-occurring conditions such as language and non-verbal IQ development delays. Previous studies reported that those behavioral abnormalities can be associated with corpus callosum organization. However, little is known about the specific differences in white matter structure of the corpus callosum parts in children with ASD and TD peers and their relationships to core and co-occurring symptoms of ASD. The aim of the study was to investigate the volumetric and microstructural characteristics of the corpus callosum parts crucially involved in social, language, and non-verbal IQ behavior in primary-school-aged children with ASD and to assess the relationships between these characteristics and behavioral measures. 38 children (19 with ASD and 19 typically developing (TD) controls) were scanned using diffusion-weighted MRI and assessed with behavioral tests. The tractography of the corpus callosum parts were performed using Quantitative Imaging Toolkit software; diffusivity and volumetric measurements were extracted for the analysis. In the ASD group, fractional anisotropy (FA) was decreased across the supplementary motor area and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and axial diffusivity (AD) was reduced across each of the corpus callosum parts in comparison to the TD group. Importantly, the AD decrease was related to worse language skills and more severe autistic traits in individuals with ASD. The microstructure of the corpus callosum parts differs between children with and without ASD. Abnormalities in white matter organization of the corpus callosum parts are associated with core and co-occurring symptoms of ASD.
Collapse
|
6
|
Vanes LD, Tye C, Tournier JD, Combes AJE, Shephard E, Liang H, Barker GJ, Nosarti C, Bolton P. White matter disruptions related to inattention and autism spectrum symptoms in tuberous sclerosis complex. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103163. [PMID: 36037661 PMCID: PMC9434133 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Tuberous sclerosis complex is a rare genetic multisystem condition that is associated with a high prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The underlying neural mechanisms of the emergence of these symptom domains in tuberous sclerosis complex remain unclear. Here, we use fixel-based analysis of diffusion-weighted imaging, which allows for the differentiation between multiple fibre populations within a voxel, to compare white matter properties in 16 participants with tuberous sclerosis complex (aged 11-19) and 12 age and sex matched control participants. We further tested associations between white matter alterations and autism and inattention symptoms as well as cognitive ability in participants with tuberous sclerosis complex. Compared to controls, participants with tuberous sclerosis complex showed reduced fibre density cross-section (FDC) in the dorsal branch of right superior longitudinal fasciculus and bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus, reduced fibre density (FD) in bilateral tapetum, and reduced fibre cross-section (FC) in the ventral branch of right superior longitudinal fasciculus. In participants with tuberous sclerosis complex, the extent of FDC reductions in right superior longitudinal fasciculus was significantly associated with autism traits (social communication difficulties and restricted, repetitive behaviours), whereas FDC reductions in right inferior longitudinal fasciculus were associated with inattention. The observed white matter alterations were unrelated to cognitive ability. Our findings shed light on the fibre-specific biophysical properties of white matter alterations in tuberous sclerosis complex and suggest that these regional changes are selectively associated with the severity of neurodevelopmental symptoms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucy D Vanes
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, UK.
| | - Charlotte Tye
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Jacques-Donald Tournier
- Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, UK; Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, UK
| | - Anna J E Combes
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Elizabeth Shephard
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Holan Liang
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Gareth J Barker
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Chiara Nosarti
- Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, UK; Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Patrick Bolton
- Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Li M, Wang Y, Tachibana M, Rahman S, Kagitani-Shimono K. Atypical structural connectivity of language networks in autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies. Autism Res 2022; 15:1585-1602. [PMID: 35962721 PMCID: PMC9546367 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show pervasive and complex language impairments that are closely associated with aberrant structural connectivity of language networks. However, the characteristics of white matter connectivity in ASD have remained inconclusive in previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies. The current meta‐analysis aimed to comprehensively elucidate the abnormality in language‐related white matter connectivity in individuals with ASD. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline databases to identify relevant studies. The standardized mean difference was calculated to measure the pooled difference in DTI metrics in each tract between the ASD and typically developing (TD) groups. The moderating effects of age, sex, language ability, and symptom severity were investigated using subgroup and meta‐regression analysis. Thirty‐three DTI studies involving 831 individuals with ASD and 836 TD controls were included in the meta‐analysis. ASD subjects showed significantly lower fractional anisotropy or higher mean diffusivity across language‐associated tracts than TD controls. These abnormalities tended to be more prominent in the left language networks than in the right. In addition, children with ASD exhibit more pronounced and pervasive disturbances in white matter connectivity than adults. These results support the under‐connectivity hypothesis and demonstrate the widespread abnormal microstructure of language‐related tracts in patients with ASD. Otherwise, white matter abnormalities in the autistic brain could vary depending on the developmental stage and hemisphere.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Li
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yide Wang
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaya Tachibana
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shafiur Rahman
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.,Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Kuriko Kagitani-Shimono
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zhao Y, Yang L, Gong G, Cao Q, Liu J. Identify aberrant white matter microstructure in ASD, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental disorders: A meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 113:110477. [PMID: 34798202 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) usually present overlapping symptoms. Abnormal white matter (WM) microstructure has been found in these disorders. Identification of common and unique neural abnormalities across NDDs could provide further insight into the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. METHODS We performed a voxel-based meta-analysis of whole-brain diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other NDDs. A systematic literature search was conducted through March 2020 to identify studies that compared measures of WM microstructure between patients with NDDs and neurotypical controls. Peak voxel coordinates were meta-analyzed via anisotropic effect size-signed differential mapping (AES-SDM) as well as activation likelihood estimation (ALE). RESULTS Our final sample included a total of 4137 subjects from 66 studies across five NDDs. Fractional anisotropy (FA) reductions were found in the splenium of the CC in ADHD, and the genu and splenium of CC in ASD. And mean diffusivity (MD) increases were shown in posterior thalamic radiation in ASD. No consistent abnormalities were detected in specific learning disorder, motor disorder or communication disorder. Significant differences between child/adolescent and adult patients were found within the CC across NDDs, reflective of aberrant neurodevelopmental processes in NDDs. CONCLUSIONS The current study demonstrated atypical WM patterns in ASD, ADHD and other NDDs. Microstructural abnormalities in the splenium of the CC were possibly shared among ASD and ADHD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yilu Zhao
- The Peking University Sixth Hospital (Institute of Mental Health), National Clinical Research Centre for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, (Peking University), Beijing, China
| | - Li Yang
- The Peking University Sixth Hospital (Institute of Mental Health), National Clinical Research Centre for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, (Peking University), Beijing, China
| | - Gaolang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Qingjiu Cao
- The Peking University Sixth Hospital (Institute of Mental Health), National Clinical Research Centre for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, (Peking University), Beijing, China.
| | - Jing Liu
- The Peking University Sixth Hospital (Institute of Mental Health), National Clinical Research Centre for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, (Peking University), Beijing, China.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Andica C, Kamagata K, Kirino E, Uchida W, Irie R, Murata S, Aoki S. Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging reveals white matter microstructural alterations in adults with autism. Mol Autism 2021; 12:48. [PMID: 34193257 PMCID: PMC8247240 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-021-00456-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Evidences suggesting the association between behavioral anomalies in autism and white matter (WM) microstructural alterations are increasing. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is widely used to infer tissue microstructure. However, due to its lack of specificity, the underlying pathology of reported differences in DTI measures in autism remains poorly understood. Herein, we applied neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) to quantify and define more specific causes of WM microstructural changes associated with autism in adults. Methods NODDI (neurite density index [NDI], orientation dispersion index, and isotropic volume fraction [ISOVF]) and DTI (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity [MD], axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity [RD]) measures were compared between autism (N = 26; 19 males and 7 females; 32.93 ± 9.24 years old) and age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD; N = 25; 17 males and 8 females; 34.43 ± 9.02 years old) groups using tract-based spatial statistics and region-of-interest analyses. Linear discriminant analysis using leave-one-out cross-validation (LDA-LOOCV) was also performed to assess the discriminative power of diffusion measures in autism and TD. Results Significantly lower NDI and higher ISOVF, suggestive of decreased neurite density and increased extracellular free-water, respectively, were demonstrated in the autism group compared with the TD group, mainly in commissural and long-range association tracts, but with distinct predominant sides. Consistent with previous reports, the autism group showed lower FA and higher MD and RD when compared with TD group. Notably, LDA-LOOCV suggests that NDI and ISOVF have relatively higher accuracy (82%) and specificity (NDI, 84%; ISOVF, 88%) compared with that of FA, MD, and RD (accuracy, 67–73%; specificity, 68–80%). Limitations The absence of histopathological confirmation limit the interpretation of our findings. Conclusions Our results suggest that NODDI measures might be useful as imaging biomarkers to diagnose autism in adults and assess its behavioral characteristics. Furthermore, NODDI allows interpretation of previous findings on changes in WM diffusion tensor metrics in individuals with autism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Andica
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Koji Kamagata
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Eiji Kirino
- Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Wataru Uchida
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryusuke Irie
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Syo Murata
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Radiological Sciences, Faculty of Healthy Sciences, Komazawa University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shigeki Aoki
- Department of Radiology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Schröder Y, Hohmann DM, Meller T, Evermann U, Pfarr JK, Jansen A, Kamp-Becker I, Grezellschak S, Nenadić I. Associations of subclinical autistic-like traits with brain structural variation using diffusion tensor imaging and voxel-based morphometry. Eur Psychiatry 2021; 64:e27. [PMID: 33653433 PMCID: PMC8080214 DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Previous case–control studies of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) have identified altered brain structure such as altered frontal and temporal cortex volumes, or decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) within the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus in patients. It remains unclear whether subclinical autistic-like traits might also be related to variation in these brain structures. Methods In this study, we analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 250 psychiatrically healthy subjects phenotyped for subclinical autistic-like traits using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). For data analysis, we used voxel-based morphometry of T1-MRIs (Computational Anatomy Toolbox) and tract-based spatial statistics for diffusion tensor imaging data. Results AQ attention switching subscale correlated negatively with FA values in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus as well as the bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Higher AQ attention switching subscale scores were associated with increased mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity values in the uncinate fasciculus, while axial diffusivity values within this tract show a negative correlation. AQ attention to detail subscale correlated positively with gray matter volume in the right pre- and postcentral gyrus. Conclusions We demonstrate that individuals with higher levels of autism-spectrum-like features show decreased white matter integrity in tracts associated with higher-level visual processing and increased cortical volume in areas linked to movement sequencing and working memory. Our results resemble regional brain structure alterations found in individuals with ASD. This offers opportunities to further understand the etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder and shows a subclinical continuum perspective.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Schröder
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany
| | - Daniela Michelle Hohmann
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032Marburg, Germany
| | - Tina Meller
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032Marburg, Germany
| | - Ulrika Evermann
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032Marburg, Germany
| | - Julia-Katharina Pfarr
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032Marburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032Marburg, Germany.,Core-Facility BrainImaging, School of Medicine, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Inge Kamp-Becker
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032Marburg, Germany.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Grezellschak
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032Marburg, Germany
| | - Igor Nenadić
- Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg/Marburg University Hospital-UKGM, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032Marburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Kirkovski M, Fuelscher I, Hyde C, Donaldson PH, Ford TC, Rossell SL, Fitzgerald PB, Enticott PG. Fixel Based Analysis Reveals Atypical White Matter Micro- and Macrostructure in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Investigation of the Role of Biological Sex. Front Integr Neurosci 2020; 14:40. [PMID: 32903660 PMCID: PMC7438780 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2020.00040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Atypical white matter (WM) microstructure is commonly implicated in the neuropathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Fixel based analysis (FBA), at the cutting-edge of diffusion-weighted imaging, can account for crossing WM fibers and can provide indices of both WM micro- and macrostructure. We applied FBA to investigate WM structure between 25 (12 males, 13 females) adults with ASD and 24 (12 males, 12 females) matched controls. As the role of biological sex on the neuropathophysiology of ASD is of increasing interest, this was also explored. There were no significant differences in WM micro- or macrostructure between adults with ASD and matched healthy controls. When data were stratified by sex, females with ASD had reduced fiber density and cross-section (FDC), a combined metric comprised of micro- and macrostructural measures, in the corpus callosum, a finding not detected between the male sub-groups. We conclude that micro- and macrostructural WM aberrations are present in ASD, and may be influenced by biological sex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Kirkovski
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.,Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Ian Fuelscher
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Christian Hyde
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Peter H Donaldson
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Talitha C Ford
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.,Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Susan L Rossell
- Centre for Mental Health, Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Paul B Fitzgerald
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Epworth Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, Epworth Health Care and Central Clinical School Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Peter G Enticott
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.,Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Thompson A, Shahidiani A, Fritz A, O’Muircheartaigh J, Walker L, D’Almeida V, Murphy C, Daly E, Murphy D, Williams S, Deoni S, Ecker C. Age-related differences in white matter diffusion measures in autism spectrum condition. Mol Autism 2020; 11:36. [PMID: 32423424 PMCID: PMC7236504 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00325-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum condition (ASC) is accompanied by developmental differences in brain anatomy and connectivity. White matter differences in ASC have been widely studied with diffusion imaging but results are heterogeneous and vary across the age range of study participants and varying methodological approaches. To characterize the neurodevelopmental trajectory of white matter maturation, it is necessary to examine a broad age range of individuals on the autism spectrum and typically developing controls, and investigate age × group interactions. METHODS Here, we employed a spatially unbiased tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) approach to examine age-related differences in white matter connectivity in a sample of 41 individuals with ASC, and 41 matched controls between 7-17 years of age. RESULTS We found significant age-related differences between the ASC and control group in widespread brain regions. This included age-related differences in the uncinate fasciculus, corticospinal tract, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, anterior thalamic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus and forceps major. Measures of fractional anisotropy (FA) were significantly positively associated with age in both groups. However, this relationship was significantly stronger in the ASC group relative to controls. Measures of radial diffusivity (RD) were significantly negatively associated with age in both groups, but this relationship was significantly stronger in the ASC group relative to controls. LIMITATIONS The generalisability of our findings is limited by the restriction of the sample to right-handed males with an IQ > 70. Furthermore, a longitudinal design would be required to fully investigate maturational processes across this age group. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our findings suggest that autistic males have an altered trajectory of white matter maturation relative to controls. Future longitudinal analyses are required to further characterize the extent and time course of these differences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Thompson
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Developmental Change & Plasticity Lab, Department of Psychology & Language Sciences, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, Bloomsbury, London, WC1H 0AP UK
| | - Asal Shahidiani
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Anne Fritz
- The Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), Psychology and Human Development, UCL, London, UK
| | - Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, Department of Perinatal Imaging and Health, St. Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Lindsay Walker
- Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, Hasbro Childrens Hospital, Providence, RI USA
- Pediatrics and Radiology, Warren Alpert medical school, Brown University, Providence, USA
| | - Vera D’Almeida
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Clodagh Murphy
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Eileen Daly
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Declan Murphy
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Steve Williams
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Sean Deoni
- Advanced Baby Imaging Lab, Hasbro Childrens Hospital, Providence, RI USA
- Pediatrics and Radiology, Warren Alpert medical school, Brown University, Providence, USA
- Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Discovery & Tools at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, USA
| | - Christine Ecker
- Department of Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Deutschordenstrasse 50, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Haigh SM, Keller TA, Minshew NJ, Eack SM. Reduced White Matter Integrity and Deficits in Neuropsychological Functioning in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Res 2020; 13:702-714. [PMID: 32073209 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is currently viewed as a disorder of cortical systems connectivity, with a heavy emphasis being on the structural integrity of white matter tracts. However, the majority of the literature to date has focused on children with ASD. Understanding the integrity of white matter tracts in adults may help reveal the nature of ASD pathology in adulthood and the potential contributors to cognitive impairment. This study examined white matter water diffusion using diffusion tensor imaging in relation to neuropsychological measures of cognition in a sample of 45 adults with ASD compared to 20 age, gender, and full-scale-IQ-matched healthy volunteers. Tract-based spatial statistics were used to assess differences in diffusion along white matter tracts between groups using permutation testing. The following neuropsychological measures of cognition were assessed: processing speed, attention vigilance, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning, reasoning and problem solving, and social cognition. Results indicated that fractional anisotropy (FA) was significantly reduced in adults with ASD in the anterior thalamic radiation (P = 0.022) and the right cingulum (P = 0.008). All neuropsychological measures were worse in the ASD group, but none of the measures significantly correlated with reduced FA in either tract in the adults with ASD or in the healthy volunteers. Together, this indicates that the tracts that are the most impacted in autism may not be (at least directly) responsible for the behavioral deficits in ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 702-714. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: White matter tracts are the data cables in the brain that efficiently transfer information, and damage to these tracts could be the cause for the abnormal behaviors that are associated with autism. We found that two long-range tracts (the anterior thalamic radiation and the cingulum) were both impaired in autism but were not directly related to the impairments in behavior. This suggests that the abnormal tracts and behavior are the effects of another underlying mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Haigh
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,Department of Psychology and Integrative Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
| | - Timothy A Keller
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Nancy J Minshew
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Shaun M Eack
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.,School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Jurek B, Meyer M. Anxiolytic and Anxiogenic? How the Transcription Factor MEF2 Might Explain the Manifold Behavioral Effects of Oxytocin. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:186. [PMID: 32322239 PMCID: PMC7156634 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuromodulator oxytocin, since its first synthesis by du Vigneaud in 1953, has mainly been associated with beneficial physiological effects, as well as positive social and emotional behaviors. This overall positive picture of oxytocin as the "love-, cuddle-, or bonding-hormone" has repeatedly been challenged since then. Oxytocin-induced effects that would be perceived as negative by the individual, such as increased anxiety or potentiation of stress-induced ACTH release, as well as the regulation of negative approach-related emotions, such as envy and schadenfreude (gloating) have been described. The general consent is that oxytocin, instead of acting unidirectional, induces changes in the salience network to shift the emphasis of emotional contexts, and therefore can, e.g., produce both anxiolytic as well as anxiogenic behavioral outcomes. However, the underlying mechanisms leading to alterations in the salience network are still unclear. With the aim to understand the manifold effects of oxytocin on a cellular/molecular level, a set of oxytocin receptor-coupled signaling cascades and downstream effectors regulating transcription and translation has been identified. Those oxytocin-driven effectors, such as MEF2 and CREB, are known modulators of the neuronal and glial cytoarchitecture. We hypothesize that, by determining cellular morphology and connectivity, MEF2 is one of the key factors that might contribute to the diverse behavioral effects of oxytocin.
Collapse
|
15
|
Tunç B, Yankowitz LD, Parker D, Alappatt JA, Pandey J, Schultz RT, Verma R. Deviation from normative brain development is associated with symptom severity in autism spectrum disorder. Mol Autism 2019; 10:46. [PMID: 31867092 PMCID: PMC6907209 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-019-0301-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition. The degree to which the brain development in ASD deviates from typical brain development, and how this deviation relates to observed behavioral outcomes at the individual level are not well-studied. We hypothesize that the degree of deviation from typical brain development of an individual with ASD would relate to observed symptom severity. Methods The developmental changes in anatomical (cortical thickness, surface area, and volume) and diffusion metrics (fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient) were compared between a sample of ASD (n = 247) and typically developing children (TDC) (n = 220) aged 6–25. Machine learning was used to predict age (brain age) from these metrics in the TDC sample, to define a normative model of brain development. This model was then used to compute brain age in the ASD sample. The difference between chronological age and brain age was considered a developmental deviation index (DDI), which was then correlated with ASD symptom severity. Results Machine learning model trained on all five metrics accurately predicted age in the TDC (r = 0.88) and the ASD (r = 0.85) samples, with dominant contributions to the model from the diffusion metrics. Within the ASD group, the DDI derived from fractional anisotropy was correlated with ASD symptom severity (r = − 0.2), such that individuals with the most advanced brain age showing the lowest severity, and individuals with the most delayed brain age showing the highest severity. Limitations This work investigated only linear relationships between five specific brain metrics and only one measure of ASD symptom severity in a limited age range. Reported effect sizes are moderate. Further work is needed to investigate developmental differences in other age ranges, other aspects of behavior, other neurobiological measures, and in an independent sample before results can be clinically applicable. Conclusions Findings demonstrate that the degree of deviation from typical brain development relates to ASD symptom severity, partially accounting for the observed heterogeneity in ASD. Our approach enables characterization of each individual with reference to normative brain development and identification of distinct developmental subtypes, facilitating a better understanding of developmental heterogeneity in ASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Birkan Tunç
- 1Center for Autism Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.,2Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.,3Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.,4Center for Biomedical Image Computing and Analytics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Lisa D Yankowitz
- 1Center for Autism Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.,5Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Drew Parker
- 6DiCIPHR (Diffusion and Connectomics in Precision Healthcare Research) Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Jacob A Alappatt
- 6DiCIPHR (Diffusion and Connectomics in Precision Healthcare Research) Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Juhi Pandey
- 1Center for Autism Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.,3Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Robert T Schultz
- 1Center for Autism Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.,3Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.,7Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| | - Ragini Verma
- 4Center for Biomedical Image Computing and Analytics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.,6DiCIPHR (Diffusion and Connectomics in Precision Healthcare Research) Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are characterised by impaired social communication and restricted repetitive behaviours. Researchers posit that these core features may be underpinned by disrupted structural connectivity. A tract based spatial statistical analysis of diffusion MRI data was performed to investigate white matter organisation (an indication of structural connectivity) in a well-defined cohort of 45 ASD and 45 age and IQ matched control participants. Aberrant structural connectivity characterised by reduced fractional anisotropy was observed in several fiber pathways in ASD relative to controls. Disrupted white matter organisation was associated with social deficits and restricted repetitive behaviours in ASD. Abnormal structural connectivity is apparent in ASD and may be linked to the core behavioural features of the disorder.
Collapse
|
17
|
Cooper HE, Kaden E, Halliday LF, Bamiou DE, Mankad K, Peters C, Clark CA. White matter microstructural abnormalities in children with severe congenital hypothyroidism. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 24:101980. [PMID: 31446316 PMCID: PMC6713841 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
This study assessed white matter microstructural integrity and behavioral correlates for children with severe congenital hypothyroidism (CH) who were identified and treated early following newborn screening. Eighteen children with severe CH and 21 healthy controls underwent a battery of behavioral measures of hearing, language and communication, along with diffusion MR imaging. Tract-based spatial statistics were performed on standard diffusion parameters of fractional anisotropy and diffusivity metrics. Microscopic diffusion anisotropy mapping based on the Spherical Mean Technique was also used to evaluate biologically specific metrics. Compared with age-matched controls, children with severe CH had poorer hearing and communication skills, albeit generally within normal limits. Children with severe CH had fractional anisotropy that was significantly lower in the cerebellum, bilateral thalami and right temporal lobe, and radial diffusivity that was significantly higher in the cerebellum and bilateral thalami. Microscopic fractional anisotropy and intra-neurite volume fraction were also significantly decreased, and transverse microscopic diffusivity was significantly increased, in the CH group in areas including the cerebellum, thalamus, occipital lobe, and corpus callosum, and in the white matter adjacent to sensorimotor cortex, particularly in the left hemisphere. Significant and widespread correlations were observed between behavioral measures and measures of white matter microstructural integrity in children with CH. The results indicate that children with severe CH who are identified through newborn screening may have significant brain white matter microstructural abnormalities despite early treatment. Children with severe CH show reductions in white matter microstructural integrity. Hearing and communication abilities are impaired for some children with severe CH. White matter abnormalities are associated with communication abilities in CH.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah E Cooper
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK; Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, Reading, UK.
| | - Enrico Kaden
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lorna F Halliday
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Doris-Eva Bamiou
- UCL Ear Institute, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK; National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
| | - Kshitij Mankad
- Department of Neuroradiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK
| | - Catherine Peters
- Department of Endocrinology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK
| | - Christopher A Clark
- Developmental Imaging and Biophysics Section, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
White matter alterations in adult with autism spectrum disorder evaluated using diffusion kurtosis imaging. Neuroradiology 2019; 61:1343-1353. [PMID: 31209529 DOI: 10.1007/s00234-019-02238-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is related to impairment in various white matter (WM) pathways. Utility of the recently developed two-compartment model of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) to analyse axial diffusivity of WM is restricted by several limitations. The present study aims to validate the utility of model-free DKI in the evaluation of WM alterations in ASD and analyse the potential relationship between DKI-evident WM alterations and personality scales. METHODS Overall, 15 participants with ASD and 15 neurotypical (NT) controls were scanned on a 3 T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner, and scores for autism quotient (AQ), systemising quotient (SQ) and empathising quotient (EQ) were obtained for both groups. Multishell diffusion-weighted MR data were acquired using two b-values (1000 and 2000 s/mm2). Differences in mean kurtosis (MK), radial kurtosis (RK) and axial kurtosis (AK) between the groups were evaluated using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Finally, the relationships between the kurtosis indices and personality quotients were examined. RESULTS The ASD group demonstrated significantly lower AK in the body and splenium of corpus callosum than the NT group; however, no other significant differences were identified. Negative correlations were found between AK and AQ or SQ, predominantly in WM areas related to social-emotional processing such as uncinate fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculi. CONCLUSIONS Model-free DKI and its indices may represent a novel, objective method for detecting the disease severity and WM alterations in patients with ASD.
Collapse
|
19
|
Valenti M, Pino MC, Mazza M, Panzarino G, Di Paolantonio C, Verrotti A. Abnormal Structural and Functional Connectivity of the Corpus Callosum in Autism Spectrum Disorders: a Review. REVIEW JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s40489-019-00176-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
20
|
Sokol DK, Maloney B, Westmark CJ, Lahiri DK. Novel Contribution of Secreted Amyloid-β Precursor Protein to White Matter Brain Enlargement in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:165. [PMID: 31024350 PMCID: PMC6469489 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The most replicated neuroanatomical finding in autism is the tendency toward brain overgrowth, especially in younger children. Research shows that both gray and white matter are enlarged. Proposed mechanisms underlying brain enlargement include abnormal inflammatory and neurotrophic signals that lead to excessive, aberrant dendritic connectivity via disrupted pruning and cell adhesion, and enlargement of white matter due to excessive gliogenesis and increased myelination. Amyloid-β protein precursor (βAPP) and its metabolites, more commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), are also dysregulated in autism plasma and brain tissue samples. This review highlights findings that demonstrate how one βAPP metabolite, secreted APPα, and the ADAM family α-secretases, may lead to increased brain matter, with emphasis on increased white matter as seen in autism. sAPPα and the ADAM family α-secretases contribute to the anabolic, non-amyloidogenic pathway, which is in contrast to the amyloid (catabolic) pathway known to contribute to Alzheimer disease. The non-amyloidogenic pathway could produce brain enlargement via genetic mechanisms affecting mRNA translation and polygenic factors that converge on molecular pathways (mitogen-activated protein kinase/MAPK and mechanistic target of rapamycin/mTOR), promoting neuroinflammation. A novel mechanism linking the non-amyloidogenic pathway to white matter enlargement is proposed: α-secretase and/or sAPPα, activated by ERK receptor signaling activates P13K/AKt/mTOR and then Rho GTPases favoring myelination via oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) activation of cofilin. Applying known pathways in AD to autism should allow further understanding and provide options for new drug targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Deborah K. Sokol
- Pediatrics Section, Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Bryan Maloney
- Indiana Alzheimers Disease Center, Department of Psychiatry, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Cara J. Westmark
- Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Debomoy K. Lahiri
- Indiana Alzheimers Disease Center, Department of Psychiatry, Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
The Impact of Early Neuroimaging and Developmental Assessment in a Preterm Infant Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Case Rep Pediatr 2019; 2019:9612507. [PMID: 30881719 PMCID: PMC6383416 DOI: 10.1155/2019/9612507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Premature infants are at risk for cerebral palsy (CP) that is typically diagnosed between 18-24 months. We present a case study of an infant who was discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) without obvious neurological deficits but was later diagnosed with hemiplegic CP. The infant was enrolled in an infant motor study, which included neuroimaging and developmental motor assessments. At term, anatomical MRI showed bilateral periventricular leukomalacia, abnormal brain metabolites in frontal white matter via MR spectroscopy (MRS), and low fractional anisotropy (FA) values obtained from diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) in several cortical white matter tracts compared to a group of typically developing infants without neuroimaging abnormalities. In addition, the infant scored below average on a developmental assessment administered at term and three months as well as on the standard Bayley III assessment at 12 months. Abnormal neuroimaging and low scores on the early developmental assessment prompted referral for intervention services at two months. With intensive therapy, by 45 months, the infant was average in self-care, mobility, and communication skills, although below average in visual motor and gross motor coordination. This case highlights the clinical impact of early detection and referral using combined neuroimaging and developmental testing.
Collapse
|
22
|
Kato Y, Kagitani-Shimono K, Matsuzaki J, Hanaie R, Yamamoto T, Tominaga K, Watanabe Y, Mohri I, Taniike M. White Matter Tract-Cognitive Relationships in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. Psychiatry Investig 2019; 16:220-233. [PMID: 30934190 PMCID: PMC6444094 DOI: 10.30773/pi.2019.01.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship between white matter tracts and cognitive symptoms in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS We examined the cognitive functions of 17 children with high-functioning ASD and 18 typically developing (TD) controls and performed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography. We compared the results between the groups and investigated the correlations between the cognitive scores and DTI parameters within each group. RESULTS The Comprehension scores in the ASD group exhibited a positive correlation with mean diffusivity (MD) in the forceps minor (F minor). In the TD group, the Comprehension scores were positively correlated with fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO) and left anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), and negatively correlated with MD in the left ATR, radial diffusivity (RD) in the right IFO, and RD in the left ATR. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between the Matching Numbers scores and MD in the left uncinate fasciculus and F minor, and RD in the F minor. Furthermore, the Sentence Questions scores exhibited a positive correlation with RD in the right inferior longitudinal fasciculus. Relative to TD controls, the specific tract showing a strong correlation with the cognitive scores was reduced in the ASD group. CONCLUSION Our findings indicate that white matter tracts connecting specific brain areas may exhibit a weaker relationship with cognitive functions in children with ASD, resulting in less efficient cognitive pathways than those observed in TD children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Kato
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kuriko Kagitani-Shimono
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Junko Matsuzaki
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ryuzo Hanaie
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tomoka Yamamoto
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Koji Tominaga
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Watanabe
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ikuko Mohri
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masako Taniike
- United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Age-moderating effect in prepotent response inhibition in boys with Asperger syndrome: a 2.5 years longitudinal study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2019; 269:361-364. [PMID: 29942979 PMCID: PMC6469602 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-018-0915-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Following our previous cross-sectional analysis, indicating age-related improvements of response inhibition in a random-motor-generation task (MPT) in adolescents with Asperger syndrome (AS), the present study reports data from a 2.5-year follow-up examination in the original sample. We found more marked improvements within the follow-up interval in younger AS children, while older AS boys as well as typically developing (TD) boys remained at a relatively constant level throughout. The current longitudinal study further substantiates the notion that AS children (on average) catch up with TD children when they grow older as regards the basic inhibition of developing routine response patterns.
Collapse
|
24
|
Akhavan Aghdam M, Sharifi A, Pedram MM. Combination of rs-fMRI and sMRI Data to Discriminate Autism Spectrum Disorders in Young Children Using Deep Belief Network. J Digit Imaging 2018; 31:895-903. [PMID: 29736781 PMCID: PMC6261184 DOI: 10.1007/s10278-018-0093-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the use of advanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) has recorded a great increase in neuropsychiatric disorders. Deep learning is a branch of machine learning that is increasingly being used for applications of medical image analysis such as computer-aided diagnosis. In a bid to classify and represent learning tasks, this study utilized one of the most powerful deep learning algorithms (deep belief network (DBN)) for the combination of data from Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange I and II (ABIDE I and ABIDE II) datasets. The DBN was employed so as to focus on the combination of resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), gray matter (GM), and white matter (WM) data. This was done based on the brain regions that were defined using the automated anatomical labeling (AAL), in order to classify autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) from typical controls (TCs). Since the diagnosis of ASD is much more effective at an early age, only 185 individuals (116 ASD and 69 TC) ranging in age from 5 to 10 years were included in this analysis. In contrast, the proposed method is used to exploit the latent or abstract high-level features inside rs-fMRI and sMRI data while the old methods consider only the simple low-level features extracted from neuroimages. Moreover, combining multiple data types and increasing the depth of DBN can improve classification accuracy. In this study, the best combination comprised rs-fMRI, GM, and WM for DBN of depth 3 with 65.56% accuracy (sensitivity = 84%, specificity = 32.96%, F1 score = 74.76%) obtained via 10-fold cross-validation. This result outperforms previously presented methods on ABIDE I dataset.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Akhavan Aghdam
- Department of Computer Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arash Sharifi
- Department of Computer Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mir Mohsen Pedram
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Wang X, Kery R, Xiong Q. Synaptopathology in autism spectrum disorders: Complex effects of synaptic genes on neural circuits. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 84:398-415. [PMID: 28986278 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xinxing Wang
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Rachel Kery
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Qiaojie Xiong
- Department of Neurobiology & Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Di X, Azeez A, Li X, Haque E, Biswal BB. Disrupted focal white matter integrity in autism spectrum disorder: A voxel-based meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2018; 82:242-248. [PMID: 29128446 PMCID: PMC5800966 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a mental disorder that has long been considered to result from brain underconnectivity. However, volumetric analysis of structural MRI data has failed to find consistent white matter alterations in patients with ASD. The present study aims to examine whether there are consistent focal white matter alterations as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in individuals with ASD compared with typically developing (TD) individuals. METHOD Coordinate-based meta-analysis was performed on 14 studies that reported fractional anisotropy (FA) alterations between individuals with ASD and TD individuals. These studies have in total 297 subjects with ASD and 302 TD subjects. RESULTS Activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis identified two clusters of white matter regions that showed consistent reduction of FA in individuals with ASD compared with TD individuals: the left splenium of corpus callosum and the right cerebral peduncle. CONCLUSIONS Consistent focal white matter reductions in ASD could be identified by using FA, highlighting the cerebral peduncle which is usually overlooked in studies focusing on major white matter tracts. These focal reductions in the splenium and the cerebral peduncle may be associated with sensorimotor impairments seen in individuals with ASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Di
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA..
| | - Azeezat Azeez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Xiaobo Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Emad Haque
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Bharat B Biswal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Im WY, Ha JH, Kim EJ, Cheon KA, Cho J, Song DH. Impaired White Matter Integrity and Social Cognition in High-Function Autism: Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study. Psychiatry Investig 2018; 15:292-299. [PMID: 29486546 PMCID: PMC5900363 DOI: 10.30773/pi.2017.08.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE It is known that many of the cognitive and social deficits associated with autism can arise from abnormal functional connectivity between brain networks. This aberrant functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be explained by impaired integrity of white matter tracts that link distant regions of the networks. METHODS We investigated white matter in 9 children with high-function autism (HFA) compared to 13 typically developing controls using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The aim of this research is to provide supporting evidence for abnormalities in neural connectivity as an underlying pathophysiology of the main characteristics of ASD. RESULTS We found impairment of neural connectivity, mainly in association fiber tracts as evidenced by decreased fractional anisotropy (FA), the index of white matter integrity, of these tracts. Among them, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) had a significant relationship with ADI-R score. The inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) also showed decreased FA. Decreased FA of ILF and SLF had negative correlations with scores of social interaction. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that widespread abnormalities in association fiber tracts may contribute to both core and associated symptoms of ASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Woo Young Im
- Department of Psychiatry and Myunggok Medical Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Department of Medicine, the Graduate School of Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hye Ha
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Metropolitan Eunpyeong Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Joo Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Keun-Ah Cheon
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeil Cho
- Yonsei Soul Psychiatric Clinic, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Ho Song
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Gilbert J, Man HY. Fundamental Elements in Autism: From Neurogenesis and Neurite Growth to Synaptic Plasticity. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:359. [PMID: 29209173 PMCID: PMC5701944 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a set of neurodevelopmental disorders with a high prevalence and impact on society. ASDs are characterized by deficits in both social behavior and cognitive function. There is a strong genetic basis underlying ASDs that is highly heterogeneous; however, multiple studies have highlighted the involvement of key processes, including neurogenesis, neurite growth, synaptogenesis and synaptic plasticity in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders. In this review article, we focus on the major genes and signaling pathways implicated in ASD and discuss the cellular, molecular and functional studies that have shed light on common dysregulated pathways using in vitro, in vivo and human evidence. HighlightsAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a prevalence of 1 in 68 children in the United States. ASDs are highly heterogeneous in their genetic basis. ASDs share common features at the cellular and molecular levels in the brain. Most ASD genes are implicated in neurogenesis, structural maturation, synaptogenesis and function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James Gilbert
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Heng-Ye Man
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Weiss EM, Gschaidbauer B, Kaufmann L, Fink A, Schulter G, Mittenecker E, Papousek I. Age-related differences in inhibitory control and memory updating in boys with Asperger syndrome. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2017; 267:651-659. [PMID: 28025692 PMCID: PMC5610201 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-016-0756-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in specific executive domains are highly prevalent in autism spectrum disorder; however, age-related improvements in executive functions (reflecting prefrontal maturational changes) have been reported even in individuals diagnosed with autism. The current study examined two components of cognitive flexibility (inhibition of prepotent responses and memory monitoring/updating) by using a random-motor-generation task (MPT) in a group of 23 boys with Asperger syndrome (AS) and 23 matched healthy controls. We found poorer inhibition and more repetitive responses in younger AS children solely, but comparable memory monitoring/updating skills across groups. Overall, our findings correspond well with previous studies and reveal that even in AS specific EFs may improve with age and, thus, call for a more differentiated view of executive (dys) function profiles in children diagnosed with AS. Tests such as the random-motor-generation task may help to disentangle more specific processes of executive deficits in autism spectrum disorder as compared to the more classical tests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth M Weiss
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Univ.-Platz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria.
| | - Bianca Gschaidbauer
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Univ.-Platz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Liane Kaufmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy A, General Hospital Hall, Tirol, Austria
| | - Andreas Fink
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Univ.-Platz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Günter Schulter
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Univ.-Platz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Erich Mittenecker
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Univ.-Platz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Ilona Papousek
- Biological Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Graz, Univ.-Platz 2, 8010, Graz, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Åsberg Johnels J, Hovey D, Zürcher N, Hippolyte L, Lemonnier E, Gillberg C, Hadjikhani N. Autism and emotional face-viewing. Autism Res 2016; 10:901-910. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.1730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Revised: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Åsberg Johnels
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Sweden
- Section of speech and language pathology; Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Sweden
| | - Daniel Hovey
- Department of Pharmacology; Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Nicole Zürcher
- Harvard Medical School/MGH/MIT, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; Boston USA
| | - Loyse Hippolyte
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Eric Lemonnier
- Centre Resources Autisme; Limoges France
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences, UBO; Brest France
| | - Christopher Gillberg
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Sweden
| | - Nouchine Hadjikhani
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Sweden
- Harvard Medical School/MGH/MIT, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; Boston USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Koolschijn PCMP, Caan MWA, Teeuw J, Olabarriaga SD, Geurts HM. Age-related differences in autism: The case of white matter microstructure. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 38:82-96. [PMID: 27511627 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is typified as a brain connectivity disorder in which white matter abnormalities are already present early on in life. However, it is unknown if and to which extent these abnormalities are hard-wired in (older) adults with ASD and how this interacts with age-related white matter changes as observed in typical aging. The aim of this first cross-sectional study in mid- and late-aged adults with ASD was to characterize white matter microstructure and its relationship with age. We utilized diffusion tensor imaging with head motion control in 48 adults with ASD and 48 age-matched controls (30-74 years), who also completed a Flanker task. Intra-individual variability of reaction times (IIVRT) measures based on performance on the Flanker interference task were used to assess IIVRT-white matter microstructure associations. We observed primarily higher mean and radial diffusivity in white matter microstructure in ASD, particularly in long-range fibers, which persisted after taking head motion into account. Importantly, group-by-age interactions revealed higher age-related mean and radial diffusivity in ASD, in projection and association fiber tracts. Subtle dissociations were observed in IIVRT-white matter microstructure relations between groups, with the IIVRT-white matter association pattern in ASD resembling observations in cognitive aging. The observed white matter microstructure differences are lending support to the structural underconnectivity hypothesis in ASD. These reductions seem to have behavioral percussions given the atypical relationship with IIVRT. Taken together, the current results may indicate different age-related patterns of white matter microstructure in adults with ASD. Hum Brain Mapp 38:82-96, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P Cédric M P Koolschijn
- Dutch Autism & ADHD Research Center, Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Brain and Cognition (ABC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Matthan W A Caan
- Department of Radiology, Brain Imaging Center, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jalmar Teeuw
- Department of Radiology, Brain Imaging Center, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sílvia D Olabarriaga
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hilde M Geurts
- Dutch Autism & ADHD Research Center, Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Amsterdam Brain and Cognition (ABC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Dr Leo Kannerhuis, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Chang YS, Owen JP, Pojman NJ, Thieu T, Bukshpun P, Wakahiro MLJ, Marco EJ, Berman JI, Spiro JE, Chung WK, Buckner RL, Roberts TPL, Nagarajan SS, Sherr EH, Mukherjee P. Reciprocal white matter alterations due to 16p11.2 chromosomal deletions versus duplications. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 37:2833-48. [PMID: 27219475 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2015] [Revised: 03/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Copy number variants at the 16p11.2 chromosomal locus are associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and speech and language disorders. A gene dosage dependence has been suggested, with 16p11.2 deletion carriers demonstrating higher body mass index and head circumference, and 16p11.2 duplication carriers demonstrating lower body mass index and head circumference. Here, we use diffusion tensor imaging to elucidate this reciprocal relationship in white matter organization, showing widespread increases of fractional anisotropy throughout the supratentorial white matter in pediatric deletion carriers and, in contrast, extensive decreases of white matter fractional anisotropy in pediatric and adult duplication carriers. We find associations of these white matter alterations with cognitive and behavioral impairments. We further demonstrate the value of imaging metrics for characterizing the copy number variant phenotype by employing linear discriminant analysis to predict the gene dosage status of the study subjects. These results show an effect of 16p11.2 gene dosage on white matter microstructure, and further suggest that opposite changes in diffusion tensor imaging metrics can lead to similar cognitive and behavioral deficits. Given the large effect sizes found in this study, our results support the view that specific genetic variations are more strongly associated with specific brain alterations than are shared neuropsychiatric diagnoses. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2833-2848, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Shin Chang
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, 185 Berry Street, San Francisco, California, 94107
| | - Julia P Owen
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, 185 Berry Street, San Francisco, California, 94107.,Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco, 1700 4th St, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Nicholas J Pojman
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Tony Thieu
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Polina Bukshpun
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Mari L J Wakahiro
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Elysa J Marco
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Jeffrey I Berman
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Wood Bldg, Suite 2115, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
| | - John E Spiro
- Simons Foundation, 160 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, New York, 10010
| | - Wendy K Chung
- Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, 10032
| | - Randy L Buckner
- Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138
| | - Timothy P L Roberts
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Wood Bldg, Suite 2115, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
| | - Srikantan S Nagarajan
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, 185 Berry Street, San Francisco, California, 94107.,Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco, 1700 4th St, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Elliott H Sherr
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, California, 94158
| | - Pratik Mukherjee
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, 185 Berry Street, San Francisco, California, 94107.,Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco, 1700 4th St, San Francisco, California, 94158
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Guillon Q, Rogé B, Afzali MH, Baduel S, Kruck J, Hadjikhani N. Intact perception but abnormal orientation towards face-like objects in young children with ASD. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22119. [PMID: 26912096 PMCID: PMC4766445 DOI: 10.1038/srep22119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
There is ample behavioral evidence of diminished orientation towards faces as well as the presence of face perception impairments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the underlying mechanisms of these deficits are still unclear. We used face-like object stimuli that have been shown to evoke pareidolia in typically developing (TD) individuals to test the effect of a global face-like configuration on orientation and perceptual processes in young children with ASD and age-matched TD controls. We show that TD children were more likely to look first towards upright face-like objects than children with ASD, showing that a global face-like configuration elicit a stronger orientation bias in TD children as compared to children with ASD. However, once they were looking at the stimuli, both groups spent more time exploring the upright face-like object, suggesting that they both perceived it as a face. Our results are in agreement with abnormal social orienting in ASD, possibly due to an abnormal tuning of the subcortical pathway, leading to poor orienting and attention towards faces. Our results also indicate that young children with ASD can perceive a generic face holistically, such as face-like objects, further demonstrating holistic processing of faces in ASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Guillon
- URI Octogone, University of Toulouse, 5 Allée Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Bernadette Rogé
- URI Octogone, University of Toulouse, 5 Allée Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) 1, Rue Descartes, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Mohammad H Afzali
- URI Octogone, University of Toulouse, 5 Allée Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Sophie Baduel
- URI Octogone, University of Toulouse, 5 Allée Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Jeanne Kruck
- URI Octogone, University of Toulouse, 5 Allée Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
| | - Nouchine Hadjikhani
- URI Octogone, University of Toulouse, 5 Allée Antonio Machado, 31058 Toulouse Cedex 9, France.,Harvard Medical School/MGH/MIT, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Building 75, 3rd Avenue, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.,Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Center, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Hanaie R, Mohri I, Kagitani-Shimono K, Tachibana M, Matsuzaki J, Hirata I, Nagatani F, Watanabe Y, Fujita N, Taniike M. White matter volume in the brainstem and inferior parietal lobule is related to motor performance in children with autism spectrum disorder: A voxel-based morphometry study. Autism Res 2016; 9:981-92. [PMID: 26808675 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2014] [Revised: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have reported poor motor performance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the underlying brain mechanisms remain unclear. Recent neuroimaging studies have suggested that abnormalities of the white matter (WM) are related to the features of ASD. In this study, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate which WM regions correlate with motor performance in children with ASD, and whether the WM volume in those brain regions differed between children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children. The subjects included 19 children with ASD and 20 TD controls. Motor performance was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2 (M-ABC 2). Children with ASD showed poorer motor performance than did the controls. There was a significant positive correlation between the total test score on the M-ABC 2 and the volume of WM in the brainstem and WM adjacent to the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG). In addition, compared with the TD controls, children with ASD had a decreased volume of WM in the brainstem and adjacent to the left intraparietal sulcus, which is close to the SMG. These findings suggest that structural changes in the WM in the brainstem and left inferior parietal lobule may contribute to poor motor performance in children with ASD. Autism Res 2016, 9: 981-992. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ryuzo Hanaie
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Ikuko Mohri
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kuriko Kagitani-Shimono
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masaya Tachibana
- Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Junko Matsuzaki
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Ikuko Hirata
- Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Fumiyo Nagatani
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Watanabe
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Norihiko Fujita
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masako Taniike
- Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. .,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. .,Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Kirkovski M, Enticott PG, Maller JJ, Rossell SL, Fitzgerald PB. Diffusion tensor imaging reveals no white matter impairments among adults with autism spectrum disorder. Psychiatry Res 2015; 233:64-72. [PMID: 26032898 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2015.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2014] [Revised: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Abnormalities within white matter (WM) have been identified in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although there is some support for greater neurobiological deficits among females with ASD, there is little research investigating sex differences in WM in ASD. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate WM aberration in 25 adults with high-functioning ASD and 24 age-, sex- and IQ-matched controls. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used to explore differences in WM in major tract bundles. The effects of biological sex were also investigated. TBSS revealed no differences in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), or axial diffusivity (AD) between groups. There were no effects of biological sex. We consider whether methodological differences between past studies have contributed to the highly heterogeneous findings in the literature. Finally, we suggest that, among a high-functioning sample of adults with ASD, differences in WM microstructure may not be related to clinical impairment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Kirkovski
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Peter G Enticott
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia; Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jerome J Maller
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Susan L Rossell
- Brain and Psychological Science Research Centre, Faculty Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia; Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul B Fitzgerald
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Saleh M, Nashaat NH, Fahim C, Ibrahim AS, Meguid N. MRI Surface-Based Brain Morphometry in Egyptian Autistic and Typically Developing Children. Folia Phoniatr Logop 2015; 67:29-35. [PMID: 25967922 DOI: 10.1159/000368962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The verbal abilities of autistic children differ from those of typically developing ones and they also differ among autistic children themselves. Neuroanatomical changes and an abnormal organization of functional networks are expected to accompany such a neurodevelopmental disorder. The aim of this study was to delineate the brain neuroanatomical changes in Egyptian children with autism and to compare them with previous studies in order to add more insight into the global brain imaging deviations linked to autism. PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty-five autistic children and 25 typically developing children underwent MRI. Further analysis was performed using surface-based morphometry to obtain cortical thickness, brain volume, and cortical complexity. RESULTS MRI analysis results revealed significantly greater cortical thickness, cortical complexity, and gray matter volume in the autistic as compared to the control group. On the other hand, the white matter volume was significantly smaller. CONCLUSION These findings generally align with findings in previous studies, except for occasional differences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marwa Saleh
- Unit of Phoniatrics, Department of Otolaryngology, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Abstract
Vertebrate myelination is an evolutionary advancement essential for motor, sensory, and higher-order cognitive function. CNS myelin, a multilamellar differentiation of the oligodendrocyte plasma membrane, ensheaths axons to facilitate electrical conduction. Myelination is one of the most pivotal cell-cell interactions for normal brain development, involving extensive information exchange between differentiating oligodendrocytes and axons. The molecular mechanisms of myelination are discussed, along with new perspectives on oligodendrocyte plasticity and myelin remodeling of the developing and adult CNS.
Collapse
|
38
|
Durrleman S, Hippolyte L, Zufferey S, Iglesias K, Hadjikhani N. Complex syntax in autism spectrum disorders: a study of relative clauses. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2015; 50:260-267. [PMID: 25244532 DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.12130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2013] [Accepted: 07/16/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The few studies that have evaluated syntax in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have yielded conflicting findings: some suggest that once matched on mental age, ASD and typically developing controls do not differ for grammar, while others report that morphosyntactic deficits are independent of cognitive skills in ASD. There is a need for a better understanding of syntax in ASD and its relation to, or dissociation from, nonverbal abilities. AIMS Syntax in ASD was assessed by evaluating subject and object relative clause comprehension in adolescents and adults diagnosed with ASD with a performance IQ within the normal range, and with or without a history of language delay. METHODS & PROCEDURES Twenty-eight participants with ASD (mean age 21.8) and 28 age-matched controls (mean age 22.07) were required to point to a character designated by relative clauses that varied in syntactic complexity. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Scores indicate that participants with ASD regardless of the language development history perform significantly worse than age-matched controls with object relative clauses. In addition, participants with ASD with a history of language delay (diagnosed with high-functioning autism in the DSM-IV-TR) perform worse on subject relatives than ASD participants without language delay (diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in the DSM-IV-TR), suggesting that these two groups do not have equivalent linguistic abilities. Performance IQ has a positive impact on the success of the task for the population with ASD. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS This study reveals subtle grammatical difficulties remaining in adult individuals with ASD within normal IQ range as compared with age-matched peers. Even in the absence of a history of language delay in childhood, the results suggest that a slight deficit may nevertheless be present and go undetected by standardized language assessments. Both groups with and without language delay have a similar global performance on relative clause comprehension; however, the study also indicates that the participants with reported language delay show more difficulty with subject relatives than the participants without language delay, suggesting the presence of differences in linguistic abilities between these subgroups of ASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Durrleman
- Institute of Cognitive Science, CNRS, Lyon, France; Department of Linguistics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Durrleman S, Franck J. Exploring links between language and cognition in autism spectrum disorders: Complement sentences, false belief, and executive functioning. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2015; 54:15-31. [PMID: 25637130 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2014.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2014] [Revised: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 12/07/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED A growing body of work indicates a close relation between complement clause sentences and Theory of Mind (ToM) in children with autism (e.g., Tager-Flusberg, & Joseph (2005). In Astington, & Baird (Eds.), Why language matters for theory of mind (pp. 298-318). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press, Lind, & Bowler (2009). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(6), 929). However, this link is based primarily on success at a specific complement clause task and a verbal false-belief (FB) task. One cannot exclude that the link found between these tasks may be a by-product of their both presupposing similar levels of language skills. It is also an open question if the role of complementation in ToM success is a privileged one as compared to that of other abilities which have been claimed to be an important factor for ToM understanding in autism, namely executive functioning (EF) (Pellicano (2007). Developmental Psychology 43, 974). Indeed the role played by complementation may be conceived of as an indirect one, mediated by some more general cognitive function related to EF. This study is the first to examine the relation between theory of mind assessed both verbally and non-verbally and various types of complement clause sentences as well as executive functions in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our participants included 17 children and adolescents with ASD (aged 6 to 16) and a younger TD control group matched on non-verbal IQ (aged 4 to 9 years). Three tasks assessing complements of verbs of cognition, verbs of communication and verbs of perception were conducted. ToM tasks involved a verbal ToM task (Sally-Anne, Baron-Cohen et al. (1985). Cognition, 21(1), 37) as well as a non-verbal one (Colle et al. (2007). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(4), 716). Indexes of executive functions were collected via a computerized version of the Dimensional Change Card-Sorting task (Frye et al., 1995). Standardized measures of vocabulary, morphosyntax and non-verbal IQ were also administered. Results show similar performance by children with ASD and TD controls for the understanding of complement sentences, for non-verbal ToM and for executive functions. However, children with ASD were significantly impaired for false belief when this was measured verbally. For both ASD and TD, correlations controlling for IQ were found between the verbal FB task and complement sentences of verbs of communication and cognition, but not with verbs of perception. EF indexes did not significantly correlate with either of the ToM tasks, nor did any of the general language scores. These findings provide support for the view that knowledge of certain specific types of complement clause may serve as a privileged means of 'hacking out' solutions to verbal false belief tasks for individuals on the autistic spectrum. More specifically, complements with a truth-value that is independent of that of the matrix clause (i.e. those occurring with verbs of cognition and of communication, but not of perception) may describe a false event while the whole sentence remains true, making these linguistic structures particularly well suited for representing the minds of others (de Villiers, 2007). LEARNING OUTCOMES Readers will be able to (1) describe and evaluate the hypothesis that complement sentences play a privileged role in false belief task success in autism; (2) describe performance on complement sentences, executive functioning and false belief tasks by children with autism as compared to IQ-matched peers; (3) explain which types of complements specifically relate to false belief task performance and why; and (4) understand that differences in performance by children with autism at different types of false-belief tasks may be related to the nature of the task conducted and the underlying mechanisms involved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Durrleman
- Institute of Cognitive Science, CNRS, Lyon, France; Dept. of Linguistics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Julie Franck
- Dept. of Psycholinguistics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Ruzich E, Allison C, Smith P, Watson P, Auyeung B, Ring H, Baron-Cohen S. Measuring autistic traits in the general population: a systematic review of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) in a nonclinical population sample of 6,900 typical adult males and females. Mol Autism 2015; 6:2. [PMID: 25874074 PMCID: PMC4396128 DOI: 10.1186/2040-2392-6-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 283] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is a self-report measure of autistic traits. It is frequently cited in diverse fields and has been administered to adults of at least average intelligence with autism and to nonclinical controls, as well as to clinical control groups such as those with schizophrenia, prosopagnosia, anorexia, and depression. However, there has been no empirical systematic review of the AQ since its inception in 2001. The present study reports a comprehensive systematic review of the literature to estimate a reliable mean AQ score in individuals without a diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition (ASC), in order to establish a reference norm for future studies. A systematic search of computerized databases was performed to identify studies that administered the AQ to nonclinical participant samples representing the adult male and female general population. Inclusion was based on a set of formalized criteria that evaluated the quality of the study, the usage of the AQ, and the population being assessed. After selection, 73 articles, detailing 6,934 nonclinical participants, as well as 1,963 matched clinical cases of ASC (from available cohorts within each individual study), were analyzed. Mean AQ score for the nonclinical population was 16.94 (95% CI 11.6, 20.0), while mean AQ score for the clinical population with ASC was found to be 35.19 (95% CI 27.6, 41.1). In addition, in the nonclinical population, a sex difference in autistic traits was found, although no sex difference in AQ score was seen in the clinical ASC population. These findings have implications for the study of autistic traits in the general population. Here, we confirm previous norms with more rigorous data and for the first time establish average AQ scores based on a systematic review, for populations of adult males and females with and without ASC. Finally, we advise future researchers to avoid risk of bias by carefully considering the recruitment strategy for both clinical and nonclinical groups and to demonstrate transparency by reporting recruitment methods for all participants.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Ruzich
- />Cambridge Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, CB2 8AH Cambridge, UK
- />Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH UK
| | - Carrie Allison
- />Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH UK
| | - Paula Smith
- />Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH UK
| | - Peter Watson
- />MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF UK
| | - Bonnie Auyeung
- />Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH UK
- />Psychology Department, University of Edinburgh, 3 Charles Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AD UK
| | - Howard Ring
- />Cambridge Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, CB2 8AH Cambridge, UK
- />NIHR CLAHRC for the East of England, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH England, UK
- />Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough, CB21 5EF UK
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- />Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH UK
- />NIHR CLAHRC for the East of England, Douglas House, 18B Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 8AH England, UK
- />CLASS Clinic, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough, CB21 5EF UK
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Kolevzon A, Bush L, Wang AT, Halpern D, Frank Y, Grodberg D, Rapaport R, Tavassoli T, Chaplin W, Soorya L, Buxbaum JD. A pilot controlled trial of insulin-like growth factor-1 in children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Mol Autism 2014; 5:54. [PMID: 25685306 PMCID: PMC4326443 DOI: 10.1186/2040-2392-5-54] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is now understood to have multiple genetic risk genes and one example is SHANK3. SHANK3 deletions and mutations disrupt synaptic function and result in Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS), which causes a monogenic form of ASD with a frequency of at least 0.5% of ASD cases. Recent evidence from preclinical studies with mouse and human neuronal models of SHANK3 deficiency suggest that insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) can reverse synaptic plasticity and motor learning deficits. The objective of this study was to pilot IGF-1 treatment in children with PMS to evaluate safety, tolerability, and efficacy for core deficits of ASD, including social impairment and restricted and repetitive behaviors. METHODS Nine children with PMS aged 5 to 15 were enrolled in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover design study, with 3 months of treatment with IGF-1 and 3 months of placebo in random order, separated by a 4-week wash-out period. RESULTS Compared to the placebo phase, the IGF-1 phase was associated with significant improvement in both social impairment and restrictive behaviors, as measured by the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and the Repetitive Behavior Scale, respectively. IGF-1 was found to be well tolerated and there were no serious adverse events in any participants. CONCLUSIONS This study establishes the feasibility of IGF-1 treatment in PMS and contributes pilot data from the first controlled treatment trial in the syndrome. Results also provide proof of concept to advance knowledge about developing targeted treatments for additional causes of ASD associated with impaired synaptic development and function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kolevzon
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 USA ; Friedman Brain Institute, New York, NY USA ; Mindich Child Health Institute, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Psychiatry, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Pediatrics, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Lauren Bush
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 USA ; Departments of Psychiatry, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - A Ting Wang
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 USA ; Friedman Brain Institute, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Psychiatry, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Neuroscience, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Danielle Halpern
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 USA ; Departments of Psychiatry, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Yitzchak Frank
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 USA ; Departments of Psychiatry, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Pediatrics, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Neurology, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - David Grodberg
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 USA ; Departments of Psychiatry, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Robert Rapaport
- Departments of Pediatrics, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Endocrinology and Diabetes, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Teresa Tavassoli
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 USA ; Departments of Psychiatry, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - William Chaplin
- Department of Psychology, St John's University, New York, NY USA
| | - Latha Soorya
- Department of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL USA
| | - Joseph D Buxbaum
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, Box 1230, New York, NY 10029 USA ; Friedman Brain Institute, New York, NY USA ; Mindich Child Health Institute, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Psychiatry, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Neuroscience, New York, NY USA ; Departments of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, New York, NY USA ; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Itahashi T, Yamada T, Nakamura M, Watanabe H, Yamagata B, Jimbo D, Shioda S, Kuroda M, Toriizuka K, Kato N, Hashimoto R. Linked alterations in gray and white matter morphology in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: a multimodal brain imaging study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2014; 7:155-69. [PMID: 25610777 PMCID: PMC4299973 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Revised: 11/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that a broad range of behavioral anomalies in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be linked with morphological and functional alterations in the brain. However, the neuroanatomical underpinnings of ASD have been investigated using either structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and the relationships between abnormalities revealed by these two modalities remain unclear. This study applied a multimodal data-fusion method, known as linked independent component analysis (ICA), to a set of structural MRI and DTI data acquired from 46 adult males with ASD and 46 matched controls in order to elucidate associations between different aspects of atypical neuroanatomy of ASD. Linked ICA identified two composite components that showed significant between-group differences, one of which was significantly correlated with age. In the other component, participants with ASD showed decreased gray matter (GM) volumes in multiple regions, including the bilateral fusiform gyri, bilateral orbitofrontal cortices, and bilateral pre- and post-central gyri. These GM changes were linked with a pattern of decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in several white matter tracts, such as the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculi, bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi, and bilateral corticospinal tracts. Furthermore, unimodal analysis for DTI data revealed significant reductions of FA along with increased mean diffusivity in those tracts for ASD, providing further evidence of disrupted anatomical connectivity. Taken together, our findings suggest that, in ASD, alterations in different aspects of brain morphology may co-occur in specific brain networks, providing a comprehensive view for understanding the neuroanatomy of this disorder. Structural alterations of gray (GM) and white matter (WM) in ASD were investigated. Linked independent component analysis was used for multimodal data analysis. Alterations of GM and WM in ASD co-occurred in cognitive and affective networks. Results reveal an integrative view of multiple aspects of structural changes in ASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Itahashi
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamada
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motoaki Nakamura
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Kinko Hospital, Kanagawa Psychiatric Center, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hiromi Watanabe
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bun Yamagata
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daiki Jimbo
- Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiji Shioda
- Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miho Kuroda
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Child Mental Health-care Center, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Toriizuka
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobumasa Kato
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryuichiro Hashimoto
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Language Sciences, Graduate School of Humanities, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
- Corresponding author at: Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11, Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 157-8577, Japan. Tel.: +81 3 5315 9357.
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Fitzgerald KD, Liu Y, Reamer EN, Taylor SF, Welsh RC. Atypical frontal-striatal-thalamic circuit white matter development in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2014; 53:1225-33, 1233.e1-9. [PMID: 25440312 PMCID: PMC4323383 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2014.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Revised: 08/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Atypical development of frontal-striatal-thalamic circuitry (FSTC) has been hypothesized to underlie the early course of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD); however, the development of FSTC white matter tracts remains to be studied in young patients. METHOD To address this gap, we scanned 36 patients with pediatric OCD compared to 27 healthy controls, aged 8 to 19 years, with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to measure fractional anisotropy (FA), an index of white matter coherence. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were used to test differential effects of age on FA, across the whole brain, in those with OCD compared to healthy youth, followed by analyses in a priori regions of interest (anterior corpus callosum, anterior cingulum bundle, and anterior limb of the internal capsule [ALIC]) to further characterize developmental differences between groups. RESULTS Patients with OCD showed more pronounced age-related increases in FA than controls in regions of interest, as well as several other white matter tracts. In patients, greater FA in anterior cingulum bundle correlated with more severe symptoms after controlling for age. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support theories of atypical FSTC maturation in pediatric OCD by providing the first evidence for altered trajectories of white matter development in anterior corpus callosum, anterior cingulum bundle, and ALIC in young patients. Steeper age-related increases of FA in these and other select white matter tracts in OCD, compared to those in healthy controls, may derive from an early delay in white matter development and/or prolonged white matter growth; however, confirmation of these possibilities awaits longitudinal work.
Collapse
|
44
|
Itahashi T, Yamada T, Watanabe H, Nakamura M, Jimbo D, Shioda S, Toriizuka K, Kato N, Hashimoto R. Altered network topologies and hub organization in adults with autism: a resting-state fMRI study. PLoS One 2014; 9:e94115. [PMID: 24714805 PMCID: PMC3979738 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0094115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on autism spectrum condition (ASC) have identified dysfunctions in specific brain networks involved in social and non-social cognition that persist into adulthood. Although increasing numbers of fMRI studies have revealed atypical functional connectivity in the adult ASC brain, such functional alterations at the network level have not yet been fully characterized within the recently developed graph-theoretical framework. Here, we applied a graph-theoretical analysis to resting-state fMRI data acquired from 46 adults with ASC and 46 age- and gender-matched controls, to investigate the topological properties and organization of autistic brain network. Analyses of global metrics revealed that, relative to the controls, participants with ASC exhibited significant decreases in clustering coefficient and characteristic path length, indicating a shift towards randomized organization. Furthermore, analyses of local metrics revealed a significantly altered organization of the hub nodes in ASC, as shown by analyses of hub disruption indices using multiple local metrics and by a loss of "hubness" in several nodes (e.g., the bilateral superior temporal sulcus, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and precuneus) that are critical for social and non-social cognitive functions. In particular, local metrics of the anterior cingulate cortex consistently showed significant negative correlations with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient score. Our results demonstrate altered patterns of global and local topological properties that may underlie impaired social and non-social cognition in ASC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Itahashi
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamada
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiromi Watanabe
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motoaki Nakamura
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Kinko Hospital, Kanagawa Psychiatric Center, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Daiki Jimbo
- Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiji Shioda
- Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Toriizuka
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobumasa Kato
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryuichiro Hashimoto
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Language Sciences, Graduate School of Humanities, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Petrinovic MM, Künnecke B. Neuroimaging endophenotypes in animal models of autism spectrum disorders: lost or found in translation? Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:1167-89. [PMID: 23852013 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3200-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2013] [Accepted: 06/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Autism spectrum disorder(s) (ASDs) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by stereotyped behaviours and impairments in communication and social interactions. This heterogeneity has been a major obstacle in uncovering the aetiology and biomarkers of ASDs. Rodent models with genetic modifications or environmental insults have been created to study particular endophenotypes and bridge the gap between genetics and behavioural phenotypes. Translational neuroimaging modalities with their ability to screen the brain noninvasively and yield structural, biochemical and functional information provide a unique platform for discovery and evaluation of such endophenotypes in preclinical and clinical research. OBJECTIVES We reviewed literature on translational neuroimaging in rodent models of ASDs. The most prominent models will be described and the respective neuroimaging endophenotypes will be discussed with reference to human data. A perspective on future directions of translational neuroimaging in animal models of ASDs will be given. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS To date, we experience a proliferation of rodent models which recapitulate specific liabilities identified in ASDs patients. Translational neuroimaging in these models is emerging but is skewed towards magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modalities. Volumetric and structural assessments of the brain are dominating and a host of endophenotypes have been reported that allude to findings in ASDs patients but with only few to converge among the models. Caveats of current studies are the diverging biological conditions related to genetic background and age of the animals. It is anticipated that longitudinal and functional assessments will gain much importance and will help elucidating mechanistic relationship between behavioural and structural endophenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marija M Petrinovic
- F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, pRED, Pharma Research and Early Development, DTA Neuroscience, Building 68, Room 327A, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070, Basel, Switzerland
| | | |
Collapse
|