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Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
Aberrant striatal functional connectivity in children with autism
Adriana Di Martino1, Clare Kelly, Rebecca Grzadzinski
1Phyllis Green and Randolph Cōwen Institute for Pediatric Neuroscience, Child Study Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York 10016, USA.
Biological Psychiatry
|January 4, 2011
Summary
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show altered brain connectivity in striatal networks. These differences in functional connectivity (FC) suggest developmental derangement rather than immaturity in brain circuits.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) models often focus on corticocortical network abnormalities.
- Emerging research highlights the role of subcortical structures, like the striatum, in ASD.
- Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is crucial for mapping striatal circuitry and its development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate striatal functional connectivity (FC) in children with ASD.
- To compare striatal FC patterns between children with ASD and typically developing children.
Main Methods:
- Used resting-state fMRI to examine striatal FC in 20 children with ASD and 20 controls (ages 7.6-13.5).
- Quantified within-group striatal FC and between-group differences using whole-brain voxelwise statistical maps.
- Focused on functional connectivity from caudate and putamen seeds in each hemisphere.
Main Results:
- Children with ASD displayed ectopic striatal FC, with increased connectivity to heteromodal associative and limbic cortical regions implicated in ASD.
- Found heightened functional connectivity between the striatum and the pons in children with ASD.
- Secondary analyses revealed ASD-related hyperconnectivity between the pons and insula cortex.
Conclusions:
- Striatal network abnormalities in children with ASD involve early developing areas like the brainstem and insula.
- Increased FC in ectopic circuits suggests developmental derangement in ASD.
- Findings expand the understanding of functional alterations in ASD beyond corticocortical networks.
