Brain Activity Within Prefrontal Cortex: A Resting-State fNIRS Comparative Study in High-Functioning Autism Preschoolers and Typically Developed Peers

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts social communication and behavior.
• Prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction is implicated in high-functioning autism (HFA).
• Understanding neurodevelopmental differences in early childhood is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in prefrontal cortex brain function between preschool children with HFA and typically developing (TD) children.
• To explore the utility of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a biomarker for HFA.

Main Methods:

• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to measure brain activity.
• 23 TD preschool children and 48 children with HFA participated.
• Brain activation and functional connectivity in the PFC were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Children with HFA exhibited significantly higher activation in the right prefrontal lobe (channels 6-7-11) compared to TD children.
• The HFA group showed significantly lower numbers and intensity of brain functional connectivity.
• Brain network activity in the HFA group was less concentrated than in the TD group.

Conclusions:

• fNIRS can detect significant differences in prefrontal cortex brain activity between preschool children with HFA and TD children.
• fNIRS shows potential as a non-invasive biomarker for assessing brain activity in HFA.
• These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of HFA in early development.