Transdiagnostic Profiles of BOLD Signal Variability in Autism and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Associations With...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) share social and neurocognitive deficits.
• Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal variability reflects neural flexibility and cognitive capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate intra-regional BOLD signal variability during rest and task in individuals with ASD, SSD, and typically developing controls (TDC).
• To explore transdiagnostic patterns of brain signal variability and its association with cognitive and functional outcomes.

Main Methods:

• fMRI data (resting-state and empathic accuracy task) were analyzed for BOLD signal variability (MSSD) in 176 SSD, 89 ASD, and 149 TDC participants.
• ANCOVAs assessed group differences and associations with social cognition, neurocognition, social functioning, and symptom severity, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

• Both ASD and SSD groups exhibited significantly lower BOLD signal variability than TDC across rest and task, particularly in somatomotor, visual, and auditory networks.
• Increased network variability positively correlated with better social cognition, neurocognition, and overall functioning across all participants.
• Resting-state BOLD variability demonstrated stronger group differences and cognitive associations compared to task-based variability.

Conclusions:

• Reduced BOLD signal variability in ASD and SSD may indicate shared neural rigidity, suggesting a transdiagnostic pattern.
• BOLD signal variability is a potential biomarker for neural flexibility and a promising target for transdiagnostic clinical interventions in related neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions.