Developmental functional brain network abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder comorbid with attention deficit...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Child Psychiatry

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently co-occur, influencing brain development.
• Understanding the distinct or shared neural characteristics of comorbid ASD and ADHD (ASD+ADHD) versus ASD-alone across different developmental stages is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the topological properties and functional connectivity (FC) patterns in the brains of children and adolescents with ASD+ADHD compared to ASD-alone and typically developing (TD) controls.
• To determine if ASD+ADHD represents a unique neural signature or shares common correlates with ASD-alone, considering developmental variations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange II.
• Analyzed functional brain networks using graph-theory analysis and FC metrics in childhood (<12 years) and adolescence (12-18 years) cohorts.
• Matched participants across groups for age, intelligence quotient, and gender within each age cohort.

Main Results:

• Both ASD+ADHD and ASD-alone groups exhibited shared functional connectivity (FC) dysfunctions within the Default Mode Network (DMN) and atypical global network metrics.
• Each group (ASD+ADHD and ASD-alone) displayed unique neural FC and topological profiles.
• These distinct neural profiles demonstrated developmental trajectories, evolving from childhood to adolescence.

Conclusions:

• ASD+ADHD presents with both shared and unique neural characteristics compared to ASD-alone, with significant developmental influences.
• Findings underscore the importance of considering age-specific factors in the clinical assessment and treatment of individuals with ASD and comorbid ADHD.