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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
Distinct and similar multimodal brain alterations of function and structure in autism spectrum disorder and
Zixuan Guo1, Ruoyi Chen2, Shu Xiao2
1Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China; Institute of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China; Department of Medical Imaging, Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
Background:
Resting-state functional and structural brain alterations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are commonly reported, thus necessitating a meta-analysis to summarize their shared and distinct alterations.
Methods:
We conducted a whole-brain meta-analysis to identify resting-state regional homogeneity (ReHo) and gray matter volume (GMV) alterations between ASD/OCD and neurotypical control participants (NCs).
Results:
We included 17 ReHo studies of ASD and 18 ReHo studies of OCD for functional analysis, and 52 studies of ASD and 62 studies of OCD for structural analysis. Overall, ASD individuals demonstrated decreased ReHo mainly in the left insula and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). OCD individuals demonstrated increased ReHo mainly in the left IFG, insula, and bilateral anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex (ACC/mPFC). ASD individuals displayed decreased GMV in the left cerebellum, and OCD individuals displayed decreased GMV in the bilateral IFG, insula, and ACC/mPFC. Overlapping analysis revealed that ASD and OCD exhibited convergent ReHo changes in the left IFG and insula. Furthermore, both functional and structural alterations in ASD and OCD were spatially associated with serotonergic, dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems in the brain.
Conclusions:
The multimodal meta-analysis identified distinct and similar patterns in the functional and structural alterations in ASD and OCD individuals, and found alterations associated with neurotransmitter systems in the brain.
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