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Updated: Aug 15, 2025
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Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
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Gray matter microstructure differences in autistic males: A gray matter based spatial statistics study
Marissa A DiPiero1, Olivia J Surgent1, Brittany G Travers2
1Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Neuroimage. Clinical
|January 1, 2023
Summary
Researchers found differences in brain microstructure between autistic and typically developing males using diffusion MRI. These findings highlight altered neurodevelopment in autism and link brain structure to symptom severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Neuroimaging
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
- Understanding the brain's microstructure is crucial for advancing knowledge of ASD's neural underpinnings.
- This study examined cortical microstructure differences between autistic and typically developing (TD) males.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize cortical microstructure in autistic males compared to TD males.
- To investigate age-related differences in brain microstructure between the groups.
- To explore the relationship between cortical microstructure and autistic symptom severity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multi-shell diffusion MRI (dMRI) from 83 TD and 70 autistic males (ages 5-21).
- Applied Gray-Matter Based Spatial Statistics (GBSS) for voxelwise analysis of cortical gray matter (GM).
- Employed general linear models and age-by-group interactions to assess group and age-related differences.
Main Results:
- Significant age associations were found across the GM skeleton for all dMRI measures.
- Autistic males showed increased neurite density in right-hemisphere frontal, temporal, and occipital regions.
- Negative correlations between neurite dispersion and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) Calibrated Severity Scores (CSS) were observed in autistic individuals.
Conclusions:
- The study identified group and age-related differences in GM microstructure, specifically neurite density, in autistic males.
- Findings suggest altered neurodevelopmental processes impacting cortical GM microstructure in ASD.
- These insights contribute to understanding brain-behavior relationships in ASD and may inform individualized interventions.
