Enhanced Topological Network Efficiency in Preschool Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is linked to brain connectivity disorders, with varying functional connectivity patterns across age groups.
• While functional connectivity in ASD is studied, the underlying structural white matter network in preschool children remains less understood.
• Previous research indicates altered functional brain connectivity in ASD, with higher connectivity in younger children and lower in adolescents and adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the white matter structural network in preschool children with ASD.
• To explore the pathogenesis of ASD by analyzing brain connectivity in early childhood.
• To identify specific topological network properties in the brains of young children with ASD.

Main Methods:

• Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) was employed to scan the brains of preschool children.
• Graph theory analysis was applied to the DTI data to assess white matter network properties.
• The study included 39 preschool children diagnosed with ASD and 19 typically developing controls, aged 2-6 years.

Main Results:

• Preschool children with ASD exhibited enhanced topological network efficiency in their white matter structure.
• Increased nodal efficiency was observed in the left precuneus, thalamus, and bilateral superior parietal cortex.
• The nodal efficiency of the left precuneus showed a positive correlation with the severity of ASD symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The study reveals distinct white matter network efficiency in preschoolers with ASD, supporting the "excessive early brain growth" theory.
• Findings suggest a pattern of left-brain lateralization in the white matter network of young children with ASD.
• This research provides new perspectives for understanding ASD pathogenesis and opens avenues for future studies in early childhood.