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Updated: Jun 27, 2025
Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
Decreased brain iron deposition based on quantitative susceptibility mapping correlates with reduced
Lei Du1,2, Fang Ye3, Wenwen Gao1,4
1Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, No. 2 East Yinghua Road, Chaoyang, Beijing 100029, China.
Insights
Quantitative susceptibility mapping revealed potential brain imaging biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specific brain region susceptibility values correlated with neurodevelopmental status in children with ASD, aiding in potential diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
- Identifying reliable biomarkers for ASD diagnosis and monitoring is crucial.
- Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) offers insights into brain tissue properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore correlations between brain region susceptibility values and ASD severity or neurodevelopmental status.
- To assess the diagnostic potential of susceptibility values in differentiating ASD from healthy controls (HCs).
- To identify potential imaging biomarkers for evaluating neurodevelopmental status in ASD.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 18 children with ASD and 15 HCs.
- Assessed neurodevelopmental status using Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) and disease severity with Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC).
- Measured susceptibility values in 11 brain regions using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and analyzed correlations using ROC curves and partial correlation analysis.
Main Results:
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves indicated that susceptibility values in the left and right frontal white matter had significant diagnostic capacity for ASD.
- Susceptibility values in the right globus pallidus showed a positive correlation with the GDS fine motor scale score in the ASD group.
- These findings suggest specific QSM metrics may reflect neurodevelopmental aspects in ASD.
Conclusions:
- Susceptibility values in certain brain regions, particularly the frontal white matter, show promise as diagnostic indicators for ASD.
- The susceptibility value of the right globus pallidus may serve as a potential imaging biomarker for assessing fine motor neurodevelopmental status in children with ASD.
- QSM is a valuable tool for investigating neurobiological underpinnings and identifying biomarkers in autism spectrum disorder.
Abstract:
To investigate potential correlations between the susceptibility values of certain brain regions and the severity of disease or neurodevelopmental status in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 18 ASD children and 15 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The neurodevelopmental status was assessed by the Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) and the severity of the disease was evaluated by the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC). Eleven brain regions were selected as regions of interest and the susceptibility values were measured by quantitative susceptibility mapping. To evaluate the diagnostic capacity of susceptibility values in distinguishing ASD and HC, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was computed. Pearson and Spearman partial correlation analysis were used to depict the correlations between the susceptibility values, the ABC scores, and the GDS scores in the ASD group. ROC curves showed that the susceptibility values of the left and right frontal white matter had a larger area under the curve in the ASD group. The susceptibility value of the right globus pallidus was positively correlated with the GDS-fine motor scale score. These findings indicated that the susceptibility value of the right globus pallidus might be a viable imaging biomarker for evaluating the neurodevelopmental status of ASD children.
