Brain Cortical Volume and Thickness Abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorder Aged 2-4 Years: a Structural MRI...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
• Early identification and understanding of brain characteristics in toddlers with ASD are crucial for intervention.
• Brain morphological differences may underlie behavioral and developmental variations in young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain morphological characteristics in 2-to-4-year-olds with ASD.
• To compare brain structures between children with ASD, developmental delay (DD), and typically developing (TD) children.
• To explore the association between brain morphology and clinical behaviors in children with ASD.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 43 toddlers with ASD, 44 with DD, and 18 TD children (aged 2-4 years).
• Conducted whole-brain high-resolution MRI and clinical assessments for all participants.
• Analyzed brain structural data using Surface-Based Morphometry (FreeSurfer) and linear mixed-effects models.

Main Results:

• ASD group showed increased cortical thickness and volume in frontal and parietal regions compared to TD.
• ASD group had increased posterior frontal lobe and middle-posterior cingulate cortical volume versus DD.
• In ASD+DD, superior frontal sulcus thickness correlated with lower adaptive behavior; nucleus accumbens volume and superior frontal/precentral sulcus thickness linked to decreased language.

Conclusions:

• Widespread brain abnormalities, including altered cortical volume and thickness in frontal and parietal lobes, are present in young children with ASD.
• These morphological brain differences may serve as indicators of altered brain development in toddlers with ASD.
• Findings highlight the importance of neuroimaging in understanding early brain development in ASD.