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Brain Functional Alterations in Prepubertal Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Xipeng Yue1,2, Ge Zhang1, Xiaochen Li1
1Department of Medical Imaging, Zhengzhou University People's Hospital & Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China.
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|June 6, 2022
Summary
This study reveals altered brain activity in prepubertal boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specific regions showed reduced function, correlating with social deficits, offering insights into early ASD neuropathology.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by dynamic changes in brain function across development.
- Prepuberty is a critical period for social development, yet brain function in prepubertal children with ASD remains understudied.
- Understanding early neural alterations is crucial for targeted interventions in ASD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in local spontaneous brain activity in prepubertal boys diagnosed with ASD.
- To explore the relationship between brain activity abnormalities and clinical measures of ASD severity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) to acquire Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) and Regional Homogeneity (ReHo) data.
- Analyzed data from 34 prepubertal boys with ASD and 49 typically developing (TD) boys (ages 7-10).
- Performed Pearson correlation analyses with Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) scores.
Main Results:
- Found decreased ALFF in the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) in the ASD group.
- Observed decreased ReHo in the left lingual gyrus (LG), left superior temporal gyrus (STG), left middle occipital gyrus (MOG), and right cuneus in boys with ASD.
- Identified negative correlations between ReHo in the left LG and left STG and ADOS social affect scores, and between left STG ReHo and overall ADOS severity.
Conclusions:
- Functional abnormalities in the left IPL, left LG, left STG, left MOG, and right cuneus are implicated in the neuropathology of prepubertal boys with ASD.
- ReHo alterations in the left LG and left STG are associated with social deficits, highlighting their role in ASD-related sociality.
- These findings contribute to understanding neural mechanisms of ASD across developmental stages, particularly in early childhood.
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