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Updated: Jan 8, 2026
Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
Interhemispheric auditory tract microstructure in autism spectrum disorder: A diffusion tensor study
Josie S Long1, Toshikazu Ikuta2
1School of Medicine, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale IL, USA.
Background:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves social communication differences and may include sensory or auditory-processing differences. The interhemispheric auditory pathway remains understudied.
Methods:
Diffusion tensor imaging from ABIDE was analyzed. The interhemispheric auditory tract was reconstructed with probabilistic tractography and diffusion metrics were compared between ASD and matched controls.
Results:
Probabilistic tractography results from 48 ASD and 38 control participants were analyzed. The ASD group showed lower fractional anisotropy and higher radial diffusivity within the tract than controls, consistent with weaker microstructural coherence and myelin-related differences.
Limitations:
Secondary multi-site data without harmonization; no behavioral measures of auditory sensitivity or impulsivity for correlation.
Conclusions:
Interhemispheric auditory connectivity differs in ASD and may contribute to speech perception and communication challenges, supporting the tract's relevance as a potential psychiatry-facing biomarker.
