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Author Spotlight: Capturing Infant-Caregiver Interactions Through Synchronized Multimodal Data Collection
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Author Spotlight: Capturing Infant-Caregiver Interactions Through Synchronized Multimodal Data Collection

Published on: May 31, 2024

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Exploring cortical activation and connectivity in infants with and without familial risk for autism during

A N Bhat1, N M McDonald2, J E Eilbott3

  • 1Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, 540 S College Ave., Newark, DE, USA; Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, 320 McKinly Lab, Newark, DE, USA; Biomechanics & Movement Science Program, University of Delaware, 540 S College Ave., Newark, DE, USA.

Infant Behavior & Development
|August 27, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Infants at high risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show different brain activity and connectivity patterns in the first year of life. These early brain differences may predict later ASD development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) behavioral signs typically emerge by age two, with diagnosis possible by age three.
  • Studying high-risk infants in their first year can reveal early ASD risk indicators.
  • Brain hyper-connectivity in infancy may precede later overt ASD symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate early functional brain activation and connectivity in infants at high risk for ASD.
  • To explore potential neuroimaging markers for ASD risk using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).

Main Methods:

  • Used fNIRS, an infant-friendly neuroimaging technique, on 9 high-risk (HR) and 6 low-risk (LR) infants (6-9 months old).
  • Recorded brain activity during baseline periods and a 5-minute naturalistic social interaction.
  • Analyzed oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) signals for cortical activation and functional connectivity.

Main Results:

  • HR infants exhibited reduced right and left-hemispheric activation compared to LR infants.
  • HR infants displayed greater functional connectivity during pre- and post-social periods.
  • A notable drop in functional connectivity was observed in HR infants during social interaction.

Conclusions:

  • Findings suggest early cortical activation differences in infants with familial ASD risk.
  • fNIRS shows promise for identifying potential ASD risk markers during naturalistic social contexts.
  • Early neuroimaging may offer insights into the developmental trajectory of ASD.

Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorderCortical activationFunctional connectivityInfantsSocial interactionfNIRS

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