Cerebellum and social abilities: A structural and functional connectivity study in a transdiagnostic sample

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• The cerebellum plays a role in social cognition, and its connectivity with the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is implicated in social abilities.
• Previous studies on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cerebellar-rTPJ connectivity have yielded inconsistent results due to small sample sizes and categorical comparisons.
• A dimensional, transdiagnostic approach is needed to understand the relationship between cerebellar-rTPJ connectivity and social functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the functional connectivity between the cerebellum and the rTPJ.
• To examine the association between cerebellar-rTPJ functional connectivity and social abilities from a dimensional perspective in a transdiagnostic sample.
• To explore the influence of structural anatomy on this relationship.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of structural and functional MRI data from the large, transdiagnostic Healthy Brain Network (HBN) dataset.
• Utilized univariate seed-to-voxel analysis, multivariate canonical correlation analysis (CCA), and predictive support vector regression (SVR).
• Examined associations with social abilities measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and full-scale IQ (FSIQ).

Main Results:

• Canonical correlation analysis revealed a significant association between cerebellum-rTPJ functional connectivity, FSIQ, and SRS scores.
• Support vector regression and univariate analyses indicated that FSIQ primarily drove this association.
• The relationship was specific to cerebellum-rTPJ connectivity and influenced by the structural anatomy of these regions.

Conclusions:

• Cerebellar-rTPJ functional connectivity has a complex relationship with social performance and IQ.
• This association is specific to the cerebellum-rTPJ pathway and significantly influenced by the structural integrity of these brain regions.
• Findings highlight the importance of a dimensional, transdiagnostic approach in understanding neurodevelopmental conditions and social cognition.