Links between brain structure and function in children with autism spectrum disorder by parallel independent...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves brain alterations, but the structure-function relationship is unclear.
• Understanding these links is crucial for diagnosing and treating ASD in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between brain structure and function in children with ASD.
• To explore how these neural characteristics relate to ASD symptom severity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized parallel independent component analysis (pICA) on structural MRI (voxel-based morphometry - VBM) and resting-state fMRI (amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations - ALFF) data.
• Analyzed data from 105 children with ASD and 102 typically developing controls via correlation and t-tests.
• Employed support vector regression to link neural components with Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) scores.

Main Results:

• Found a significant association between VBM and ALFF components in children with ASD.
• Detected differences in VBM component loadings between ASD and control groups.
• ALFF and VBM component loadings predicted ADOS communication and behavioral subscores in ASD.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrates a link between brain structure (VBM) and function (ALFF) in ASD.
• Suggests specific neural patterns are associated with ASD symptomology.
• Provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder.