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McFayden TC, Rutsohn J, Cetin G, Forsen E, Swanson MR, Meera SS, Wolff JJ, Elison JT, Shen MD, Botteron K, Dager SR, Estes A, Gerig G, McKinstry RC, Pandey J, Schultz R, St John T, Styner M, Truong Y, Zwaigenbaum L, Hazlett HC, Piven J, Girault JB. White matter development and language abilities during infancy in autism spectrum disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:2095-2104. [PMID: 38383768 PMCID: PMC11336031 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02470-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
White matter (WM) fiber tract differences are present in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and could be important markers of behavior. One of the earliest phenotypic differences in ASD are language atypicalities. Although language has been linked to WM in typical development, no work has evaluated this association in early ASD. Participants came from the Infant Brain Imaging Study and included 321 infant siblings of children with ASD at high likelihood (HL) for developing ASD; 70 HL infants were later diagnosed with ASD (HL-ASD), and 251 HL infants were not diagnosed with ASD (HL-Neg). A control sample of 140 low likelihood infants not diagnosed with ASD (LL-Neg) were also included. Infants contributed expressive language, receptive language, and diffusion tensor imaging data at 6-, 12-, and 24 months. Mixed effects regression models were conducted to evaluate associations between WM and language trajectories. Trajectories of microstructural changes in the right arcuate fasciculus were associated with expressive language development. HL-ASD infants demonstrated a different developmental pattern compared to the HL-Neg and LL-Neg groups, wherein the HL-ASD group exhibited a positive association between WM fractional anisotropy and language whereas HL-Neg and LL-Neg groups showed weak or no association. No other fiber tracts demonstrated significant associations with language. In conclusion, results indicated arcuate fasciculus WM is linked to language in early toddlerhood for autistic toddlers, with the strongest associations emerging around 24 months. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate associations between language and WM development during the pre-symptomatic period in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler C McFayden
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carrboro, NC, USA.
| | - Joshua Rutsohn
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Gizem Cetin
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carrboro, NC, USA
| | - Elizabeth Forsen
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Meghan R Swanson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Shoba S Meera
- Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Jason J Wolff
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Jed T Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Mark D Shen
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carrboro, NC, USA
| | - Kelly Botteron
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stephen R Dager
- Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Annette Estes
- Institute on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Guido Gerig
- Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Robert C McKinstry
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Juhi Pandey
- Center for Autism Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert Schultz
- Center for Autism Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tanya St John
- Institute on Human Development and Disability, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Martin Styner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Young Truong
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Heather C Hazlett
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carrboro, NC, USA
| | - Joseph Piven
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carrboro, NC, USA
| | - Jessica B Girault
- Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carrboro, NC, USA
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2
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Sano M, Hirosawa T, Yoshimura Y, Hasegawa C, An KM, Tanaka S, Yaoi K, Naitou N, Kikuchi M. Neural responses to syllable-induced P1m and social impairment in children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing Peers. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298020. [PMID: 38457397 PMCID: PMC10923473 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
In previous magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been shown to respond differently to speech stimuli than typically developing (TD) children. Quantitative evaluation of this difference in responsiveness may support early diagnosis and intervention for ASD. The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between syllable-induced P1m and social impairment in children with ASD and TD children. We analyzed 49 children with ASD aged 40-92 months and age-matched 26 TD children. We evaluated their social impairment by means of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and their intelligence ability using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). Multiple regression analysis with SRS score as the dependent variable and syllable-induced P1m latency or intensity and intelligence ability as explanatory variables revealed that SRS score was associated with syllable-induced P1m latency in the left hemisphere only in the TD group and not in the ASD group. A second finding was that increased leftward-lateralization of intensity was correlated with higher SRS scores only in the ASD group. These results provide valuable insights but also highlight the intricate nature of neural mechanisms and their relationship with autistic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masuhiko Sano
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Tetsu Hirosawa
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Yuko Yoshimura
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
- Faculty of Education, Institute of Human and Social Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Chiaki Hasegawa
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Kyung-Min An
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sanae Tanaka
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Ken Yaoi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Nobushige Naitou
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Kikuchi
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
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3
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Oberman LM, Francis SM, Beynel L, Hynd M, Jaime M, Robins PL, Deng ZD, Stout J, van der Veen JW, Lisanby SH. Design and methodology for a proof of mechanism study of individualized neuronavigated continuous Theta burst stimulation for auditory processing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1304528. [PMID: 38389984 PMCID: PMC10881663 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1304528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been suggested that aberrant excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance and dysfunctional structure and function of relevant brain networks may underlie the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the nomological network linking these constructs to quantifiable measures and mechanistically relating these constructs to behavioral symptoms of ASD is lacking. Herein we describe a within-subject, controlled, proof-of-mechanism study investigating the pathophysiology of auditory/language processing in adolescents with ASD. We utilize neurophysiological and neuroimaging techniques including magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) metrics of language network structure and function. Additionally, we apply a single, individually targeted session of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) as an experimental probe of the impact of perturbation of the system on these neurophysiological and neuroimaging outcomes. MRS, fMRI, and MEG measures are evaluated at baseline and immediately prior to and following cTBS over the posterior superior temporal cortex (pSTC), a region involved in auditory and language processing deficits in ASD. Also, behavioral measures of ASD and language processing and DWI measures of auditory/language network structures are obtained at baseline to characterize the relationship between the neuroimaging and neurophysiological measures and baseline symptom presentation. We hypothesize that local gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate concentrations (measured with MRS), and structural and functional activity and network connectivity (measured with DWI and fMRI), will significantly predict MEG indices of auditory/language processing and behavioral deficits in ASD. Furthermore, a single session of cTBS over left pSTC is hypothesized to lead to significant, acute changes in local glutamate and GABA concentration, functional activity and network connectivity, and MEG indices of auditory/language processing. We have completed the pilot phase of the study (n=20 Healthy Volunteer adults) and have begun enrollment for the main phase with adolescents with ASD (n=86; age 14-17). If successful, this study will establish a nomological network linking local E/I balance measures to functional and structural connectivity within relevant brain networks, ultimately connecting them to ASD symptoms. Furthermore, this study will inform future therapeutic trials using cTBS to treat the symptoms of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay M Oberman
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Sunday M Francis
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Lysianne Beynel
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Megan Hynd
- Clinical Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Miguel Jaime
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Pei L Robins
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Zhi-De Deng
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jeff Stout
- Magnetoencephalography Core, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jan Willem van der Veen
- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Core, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Sarah H Lisanby
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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Jiménez de la Peña M, Rincón-Pérez I, López-Martín S, Albert J, Martín Fernández-Mayoralas D, Fernández-Perrone AL, Jiménez de Domingo A, Tirado P, Calleja-Pérez B, Porta J, Álvarez S, Fernández-Jaén A. Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome: Novel pathogenic variants and new neuroimaging findings. Am J Med Genet A 2024; 194:211-217. [PMID: 37795572 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.63434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome (TBRS) or DNMT3A-overgrowth syndrome is characterized by overgrowth and intellectual disability associated with minor dysmorphic features, obesity, and behavioral problems. It is caused by variants of the DNMT3A gene. We report four patients with this syndrome due to de novo DNMT3A pathogenic variants, contributing to a deeper understanding of the genetic basis and pathophysiology of this autosomal dominant syndrome. Clinical and magnetic resonance imaging assessments were also performed. All patients showed corpus callosum anomalies, small posterior fossa, and a deep left Sylvian fissure; as well as asymmetry of the uncinate and arcuate fascicles and marked increased cortical thickness. These results suggest that structural neuroimaging anomalies have been previously overlooked, where corpus callosum and brain tract alterations might be unrecognized neuroimaging traits of TBRS syndrome caused by DNMT3A variants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Irene Rincón-Pérez
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara López-Martín
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Neuromottiva, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jacobo Albert
- Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Pilar Tirado
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Javier Porta
- Department of Genomics, Genologica, Málaga, Spain
| | - Sara Álvarez
- Department of Genomics and Medicine, NIMGenetics, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Fernández-Jaén
- Department of Pediatric Neurology, Hospital Universitario Quirónsalud, Madrid, Spain
- School of Medicine, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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5
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Papadopoulou AK, Samsouris C, Vlachos F, Badcock NA, Phylactou P, Papadatou-Pastou M. Exploring cerebral laterality of writing and the relationship to handedness: a functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound investigation. Laterality 2024; 29:117-150. [PMID: 38112692 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2023.2284407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral lateralization of oral language has been investigated in a plethora of studies and it is well established that the left hemisphere is dominant for production tasks in the majority of individuals. However, few studies have focused on written language and even fewer have sampled left-handers. Writing comprises language and motor components, both of which contribute to cerebral activation, yet previous research has not disentangled. The aim of this study was to disentangle the language and motor components of writing lateralization. This was achieved through the comparison of cerebral activation during (i) written word generation and (ii) letter copying, as assessed by functional Transcranial Doppler (fTCD) ultrasound. We further assessed cerebral laterality of oral language. The sample was balanced for handedness. We preregistered the hypotheses that (i) cerebral lateralization of the linguistic component of writing would be weaker in left-handers compared to right-handers and (ii) oral language and the linguistic component of written language would not be correlated in terms of cerebral lateralization. No compelling evidence for either of our hypotheses was found. Findings highlight the complexity of the processes subserving written and oral language as well as the methodological challenges to isolate the linguistic component of writing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia-Konstantina Papadopoulou
- School of Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Samsouris
- School of Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Filippos Vlachos
- Department of Special Education, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Nicholas A Badcock
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Phivos Phylactou
- School of Physical Therapy, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
| | - Marietta Papadatou-Pastou
- School of Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
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6
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Abbott N, Love T. Bridging the Divide: Brain and Behavior in Developmental Language Disorder. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1606. [PMID: 38002565 PMCID: PMC10670267 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13111606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a heterogenous neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a child's ability to comprehend and/or produce spoken and/or written language, yet it cannot be attributed to hearing loss or overt neurological damage. It is widely believed that some combination of genetic, biological, and environmental factors influences brain and language development in this population, but it has been difficult to bridge theoretical accounts of DLD with neuroimaging findings, due to heterogeneity in language impairment profiles across individuals and inconsistent neuroimaging findings. Therefore, the purpose of this overview is two-fold: (1) to summarize the neuroimaging literature (while drawing on findings from other language-impaired populations, where appropriate); and (2) to briefly review the theoretical accounts of language impairment patterns in DLD, with the goal of bridging the disparate findings. As will be demonstrated with this overview, the current state of the field suggests that children with DLD have atypical brain volume, laterality, and activation/connectivity patterns in key language regions that likely contribute to language difficulties. However, the precise nature of these differences and the underlying neural mechanisms contributing to them remain an open area of investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelle Abbott
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA;
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
| | - Tracy Love
- School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA;
- San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
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7
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Faraji R, Ganji Z, Zamanpour SA, Nikparast F, Akbari-Lalimi H, Zare H. Impaired white matter integrity in infants and young children with autism spectrum disorder: What evidence does diffusion tensor imaging provide? Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 335:111711. [PMID: 37741094 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abnormal functional connections are associated with impaired white matter tract integrity in the brain. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a promising method for evaluating white matter integrity in infants and young children. This work aims to shed light on the location and nature of the decrease in white matter integrity. METHODS Here, the results of 19 studies have been presented that investigated white matter integrity in infants and young children (6 months to 12 years) with autism using diffusion tensor imaging. RESULTS In most of the reviewed studies, an increase in Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and a decrease in Radial Diffusivity (RD) were reported in Corpus Callosum (CC), Uncinate Fasciculus (UF), Cingulum (Cg), Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus (ILF), and Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus (SLF), and in the Inferior Fronto-Occipital Fasciculus (IFOF) tract, a decrease in FA and an increase in RD were reported. CONCLUSION In the reviewed articles, except for one study, the diffusion indices were different compared to the control group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reyhane Faraji
- Medical Physics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Zohreh Ganji
- Medical Physics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Seyed Amir Zamanpour
- Medical Physics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Farzaneh Nikparast
- Medical Physics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hossein Akbari-Lalimi
- Medical Physics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hoda Zare
- Medical Physics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Medical Physics, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
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Wang M, Xu D, Zhang L, Jiang H. Application of Multimodal MRI in the Early Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:3027. [PMID: 37835770 PMCID: PMC10571992 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13193027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in children. Early diagnosis and intervention can remodel the neural structure of the brain and improve quality of life but may be inaccurate if based solely on clinical symptoms and assessment scales. Therefore, we aimed to analyze multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from the existing literature and review the abnormal changes in brain structural-functional networks, perfusion, neuronal metabolism, and the glymphatic system in children with ASD, which could help in early diagnosis and precise intervention. Structural MRI revealed morphological differences, abnormal developmental trajectories, and network connectivity changes in the brain at different ages. Functional MRI revealed disruption of functional networks, abnormal perfusion, and neurovascular decoupling associated with core ASD symptoms. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed abnormal changes in the neuronal metabolites during different periods. Decreased diffusion tensor imaging signals along the perivascular space index reflected impaired glymphatic system function in children with ASD. Differences in age, subtype, degree of brain damage, and remodeling in children with ASD led to heterogeneity in research results. Multimodal MRI is expected to further assist in early and accurate clinical diagnosis of ASD through deep learning combined with genomics and artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaoyan Wang
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China; (M.W.); (D.X.)
| | - Dandan Xu
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China; (M.W.); (D.X.)
| | - Lili Zhang
- Department of Child Health Care, Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China
| | - Haoxiang Jiang
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China; (M.W.); (D.X.)
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Parekh SA, Wren-Jarvis J, Lazerwitz M, Rowe MA, Powers R, Bourla I, Cai LT, Chu R, Trimarchi K, Garcia R, Marco EJ, Mukherjee P. Hemispheric lateralization of white matter microstructure in children and its potential role in sensory processing dysfunction. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1088052. [PMID: 37139524 PMCID: PMC10149818 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1088052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have demonstrated white matter microstructural differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. However, the basis of these hemispheric asymmetries is not yet understood in terms of the biophysical properties of white matter microstructure, especially in children. There are reports of altered hemispheric white matter lateralization in ASD; however, this has not been studied in other related neurodevelopmental disorders such as sensory processing disorder (SPD). Firstly, we postulate that biophysical compartment modeling of diffusion MRI (dMRI), such as Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI), can elucidate the hemispheric microstructural asymmetries observed from DTI in children with neurodevelopmental concerns. Secondly, we hypothesize that sensory over-responsivity (SOR), a common type of SPD, will show altered hemispheric lateralization relative to children without SOR. Eighty-seven children (29 females, 58 males), ages 8-12 years, presenting at a community-based neurodevelopmental clinic were enrolled, 48 with SOR and 39 without. Participants were evaluated using the Sensory Processing 3 Dimensions (SP3D). Whole brain 3 T multi-shell multiband dMRI (b = 0, 1,000, 2,500 s/mm2) was performed. Tract Based Spatial Statistics were used to extract DTI and NODDI metrics from 20 bilateral tracts of the Johns Hopkins University White-Matter Tractography Atlas and the lateralization Index (LI) was calculated for each left-right tract pair. With DTI metrics, 12 of 20 tracts were left lateralized for fractional anisotropy and 17/20 tracts were right lateralized for axial diffusivity. These hemispheric asymmetries could be explained by NODDI metrics, including neurite density index (18/20 tracts left lateralized), orientation dispersion index (15/20 tracts left lateralized) and free water fraction (16/20 tracts lateralized). Children with SOR served as a test case of the utility of studying LI in neurodevelopmental disorders. Our data demonstrated increased lateralization in several tracts for both DTI and NODDI metrics in children with SOR, which were distinct for males versus females, when compared to children without SOR. Biophysical properties from NODDI can explain the hemispheric lateralization of white matter microstructure in children. As a patient-specific ratio, the lateralization index can eliminate scanner-related and inter-individual sources of variability and thus potentially serve as a clinically useful imaging biomarker for neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shalin A. Parekh
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Jamie Wren-Jarvis
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Maia Lazerwitz
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Cortica Healthcare, San Rafael, CA, United States
| | - Mikaela A. Rowe
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States
| | - Rachel Powers
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Cortica Healthcare, San Rafael, CA, United States
| | - Ioanna Bourla
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Lanya T. Cai
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Robyn Chu
- Cortica Healthcare, San Rafael, CA, United States
| | | | | | | | - Pratik Mukherjee
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California–San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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10
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Li M, Wang Y, Tachibana M, Rahman S, Kagitani-Shimono K. Atypical structural connectivity of language networks in autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging studies. Autism Res 2022; 15:1585-1602. [PMID: 35962721 PMCID: PMC9546367 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show pervasive and complex language impairments that are closely associated with aberrant structural connectivity of language networks. However, the characteristics of white matter connectivity in ASD have remained inconclusive in previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies. The current meta‐analysis aimed to comprehensively elucidate the abnormality in language‐related white matter connectivity in individuals with ASD. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Medline databases to identify relevant studies. The standardized mean difference was calculated to measure the pooled difference in DTI metrics in each tract between the ASD and typically developing (TD) groups. The moderating effects of age, sex, language ability, and symptom severity were investigated using subgroup and meta‐regression analysis. Thirty‐three DTI studies involving 831 individuals with ASD and 836 TD controls were included in the meta‐analysis. ASD subjects showed significantly lower fractional anisotropy or higher mean diffusivity across language‐associated tracts than TD controls. These abnormalities tended to be more prominent in the left language networks than in the right. In addition, children with ASD exhibit more pronounced and pervasive disturbances in white matter connectivity than adults. These results support the under‐connectivity hypothesis and demonstrate the widespread abnormal microstructure of language‐related tracts in patients with ASD. Otherwise, white matter abnormalities in the autistic brain could vary depending on the developmental stage and hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Li
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yide Wang
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masaya Tachibana
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shafiur Rahman
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.,Research Center for Child Mental Development, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Kuriko Kagitani-Shimono
- Department of Child Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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11
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Olivé G, Slušná D, Vaquero L, Muchart-López J, Rodríguez-Fornells A, Hinzen W. Structural connectivity in ventral language pathways characterizes non-verbal autism. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:1817-1829. [PMID: 35286477 PMCID: PMC9098538 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02474-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Language capacities in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) range from normal scores on standardized language tests to absence of functional language in a substantial minority of 30% of individuals with ASD. Due to practical difficulties of scanning at this severe end of the spectrum, insights from MRI are scarce. Here we used manual deterministic tractography to investigate, for the first time, the integrity of the core white matter tracts defining the language connectivity network in non-verbal ASD (nvASD): the three segments of the arcuate (AF), the inferior fronto-occipital (IFOF), the inferior longitudinal (ILF) and the uncinate (UF) fasciculi, and the frontal aslant tract (FAT). A multiple case series of nine individuals with nvASD were compared to matched individuals with verbal ASD (vASD) and typical development (TD). Bonferroni-corrected repeated measure ANOVAs were performed separately for each tract-Hemisphere (2:Left/Right) × Group (3:TD/vASD/nvASD). Main results revealed (i) a main effect of group consisting in a reduction in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the IFOF in nvASD relative to TD; (ii) a main effect of group revealing lower values of radial diffusivity (RD) in the long segment of the AF in nvASD compared to vASD group; and (iii) a reduced volume in the left hemisphere of the UF when compared to the right, in the vASD group only. These results do not replicate volumetric differences of the dorsal language route previously observed in nvASD, and instead point to a disruption of the ventral language pathway, in line with semantic deficits observed behaviourally in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillem Olivé
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dominika Slušná
- Department of Translation and Language Sciences, Campus Poblenou, Pompeu Fabra University, 08018, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lucía Vaquero
- Legal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Antoni Rodríguez-Fornells
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, Campus Bellvitge, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain
- Cognition and Brain Plasticity Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08097, Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Wolfram Hinzen
- Department of Translation and Language Sciences, Campus Poblenou, Pompeu Fabra University, 08018, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
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12
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The time-locked neurodynamics of semantic processing in autism spectrum disorder: an EEG study. Cogn Neurodyn 2022; 16:43-72. [PMID: 35126770 PMCID: PMC8807749 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-021-09697-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Language processing is often an area of difficulty in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Semantic processing-the ability to add meaning to a stimulus-is thought to be especially affected in ASD. However, the neurological origin of these deficits, both structurally and temporally, have yet to be discovered. To further previous behavioral findings on language differences in ASD, the present study used an implicit semantic priming paradigm and electroencephalography (EEG) to compare the level of theta coherence throughout semantic processing, between typically developing (TD) and ASD participants. Theta coherence is an indication of synchronous EEG oscillations and was of particular interest due to its previous links with semantic processing. Theta coherence was analyzed in response to semantically related or unrelated pairs of words and pictures across bilateral short, medium, and long electrode connections. We found significant results across a variety of conditions, but most notably, we observed reduced coherence for language stimuli in the ASD group at a left fronto-parietal connection from 100 to 300 ms. This replicates previous findings of underconnectivity in left fronto-parietal language networks in ASD. Critically, the early time window of this underconnectivity, from 100 to 300 ms, suggests that impaired semantic processing of language in ASD may arise during pre-semantic processing, during the initial communication between lower-level linguistic processing and higher-level semantic processing. Our results suggest that language processing functions are unique in ASD compared to TD, and that subjects with ASD might rely on a temporally different language processing loop altogether.
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13
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Qin B, Wang L, Cai J, Li T, Zhang Y. Functional Brain Networks in Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:896388. [PMID: 35859600 PMCID: PMC9289162 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.896388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study aims to investigate the functional brain network characteristics of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through functional connectivity (FC) calculations using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and graph theory analysis to better understand the pathogenesis of ASD and provide imaging evidence for the early assessment of this condition. METHODS A prospective study of preschool children including 32 with ASD (ASD group) and 22 healthy controls (HC)group was conducted in which all subjects underwent rs-fMRI scans, and then the differences in FC between the two groups was calculated, followed by graph-theoretic analysis to obtain the FC properties of the network. RESULTS In the calculation of FC, compared with the children in the HC group, significant increases or decreases in subnetwork connectivity was found in the ASD group. There were 25 groups of subnetworks with enhanced FC, of which the medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate gyrus and angular gyrus were all important components of the default mode network (DMN). There were 11 groups of subnetworks with weakened FC, including the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, precuneus, amygdala, and perirhinal cortex, with the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus predominating. In the network properties determined by graph theory, the clustering coefficient and local efficiency of the functional network was increased in the ASD group; specifically, compared with those in the HC group, nodes in the left subinsular frontal gyrus and the right middle temporal gyrus had increased efficiency, and nodes in the left perisylvian cortex, the left lingual gyrus, and the right hippocampus had decreased efficiency. CONCLUSION Alterations in functional brain networks are evident in preschool children with ASD and can be detected with sleep rs-fMRI, which is important for understanding the pathogenesis of ASD and assessing this condition early.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Qin
- Department of Radiology, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Clinical Big Data and Drug Evaluation, Medical Data Science, Academy of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Longlun Wang
- Department of Radiology, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jinhua Cai
- Department of Radiology, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Tingyu Li
- Children Nutrition Research Center, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Radiology, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.,Chongqing Engineering Research Center for Clinical Big Data and Drug Evaluation, Medical Data Science, Academy of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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14
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Shirazi Y, Oghabian MA, Batouli SAH. Along-tract analysis of the white matter is more informative about brain ageing, compared to whole-tract analysis. Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2021; 211:107048. [PMID: 34826755 DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2021.107048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) enabled the investigation of brain White Matter (WM), both qualitatively to study the macrostructure, and quantitatively to study the microstructure. The quantitative analyses are mostly performed at the whole-tract level, i.e., providing one measure of interest per tract; however, along-tract approaches may provide finer details of the quality of the WM tracts. In this study, using the DWI data collected from 40 young and 40 old individuals, we compared the DTI measures of FA, MD, AD, and RD, estimated by both whole-tract and along-tract approaches in 18 WM bundles, between the two groups. The results of the whole-tract quantitative analysis showed a statistically significant (p-FWER < 0.05) difference between the old and young groups in 6 tracts for FA, 8 tracts for MD, 1 tract for AD, and 7 tracts for RD. On the contrary, the along-tract approach showed differences between the two groups in 10 tracts for FA, 14 tracts for MD, 8 tracts for AD, and 11 tracts for RD. All the differences between the along-tract measures of the two groups had a large effect size (Cohen'd > 0.80). This study showed that the along-tract approach for the analysis of brain WM reveals changes in some WM tracts which had not shown any changes in the whole-tract approach, and therefore this finding emphasizes the utilization of the along-tract approach along with the whole-tract method for a more accurate study of the brain WM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasin Shirazi
- Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Oghabian
- Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Department, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Neuroimaging and Analysis Group, Research Center for Molecular and Cellular Imaging, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Amir Hossein Batouli
- Neuroimaging and Analysis Group, Research Center for Molecular and Cellular Imaging, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Neuroscience and addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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15
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Cermak CA, Arshinoff S, Ribeiro de Oliveira L, Tendera A, Beal DS, Brian J, Anagnostou E, Sanjeevan T. Brain and Language Associations in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:725-737. [PMID: 33765302 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04975-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Examining brain and behaviour associations for language in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may bring us closer to identifying neural profiles that are unique to a subgroup of individuals with ASD identified as language impaired (e.g. ASD LI+). We conducted a scoping review to examine brain regions that are associated with language performance in ASD. Further, we examined methodological differences across studies in how language ability was characterized and what neuroimaging methods were used to explore brain regions. Seventeen studies met inclusion criteria. Brain regions specific to ASD LI+ groups were found, however inconsistencies in brain and language associations were evident across study findings. Participant age, age-appropriate language scores, and neuroimaging methods likely contributed to differences in associations found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly A Cermak
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada. .,Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada. .,Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada.
| | - Spencer Arshinoff
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada
| | - Leticia Ribeiro de Oliveira
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada.,Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada
| | - Anna Tendera
- Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada
| | - Deryk S Beal
- Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada.,Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada.,Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada
| | - Jessica Brian
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada.,Department of Paediatrics, Medical Sciences Building, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada.,Department of Paediatrics, Medical Sciences Building, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Teenu Sanjeevan
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, ON, M4G 1R8, Canada
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16
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Shafer AT, Benoit JR, Brown MRG, Greenshaw AJ, Van Vliet KJ, Vohra S, Dolcos F, Singhal A. Differences in attentional control and white matter microstructure in adolescents with attentional, affective, and behavioral disorders. Brain Imaging Behav 2021; 14:599-614. [PMID: 31838614 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-019-00211-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical time of physiological, cognitive, and social development. It is also a time of increased risk-taking and vulnerability for psychopathology. White matter (WM) changes during adolescence have been better elucidated in the last decade, but how WM is impacted by psychopathology during this time remains unclear. Here, we examined the link between WM microstructure and psychopathology during adolescence. Twenty youth diagnosed with affective, attentional, and behavioral disorders (clinical sample), and 20 age-matched controls were recruited to examine group differences in WM microstructure, attentional control, and the link between them. The main results showed that clinical sample had relatively lower attentional control and fractional anisotropy (FA) in WM throughout the brain: two association tracts were identified, and many differences were found in areas rich in callosal and projection fibers. Moreover, increased FA was positively associated with attention performance in the clinical sample in structures supporting ventral WM pathways, whereas a similar link was identified in controls in dorsal WM association fibers. Overall, these results support a model of general impairment in WM microstructure combined with reliance on altered, perhaps less efficient, pathways for attentional control in youth with affective, attentional, and behavioral disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea T Shafer
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - James R Benoit
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Matthew R G Brown
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Andy J Greenshaw
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - K Jessica Van Vliet
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Sunita Vohra
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Florin Dolcos
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Psychology Department and Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.,Beckman Institute for Advanced Science & Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Anthony Singhal
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. .,Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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17
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Role of Oligodendrocytes and Myelin in the Pathophysiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10120951. [PMID: 33302549 PMCID: PMC7764453 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an early neurodevelopmental disorder that involves deficits in interpersonal communication, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors. Although ASD pathophysiology is still uncertain, alterations in the abnormal development of the frontal lobe, limbic areas, and putamen generate an imbalance between inhibition and excitation of neuronal activity. Interestingly, recent findings suggest that a disruption in neuronal connectivity is associated with neural alterations in white matter production and myelination in diverse brain regions of patients with ASD. This review is aimed to summarize the most recent evidence that supports the notion that abnormalities in the oligodendrocyte generation and axonal myelination in specific brain regions are involved in the pathophysiology of ASD. Fundamental molecular mediators of these pathological processes are also examined. Determining the role of alterations in oligodendrogenesis and myelination is a fundamental step to understand the pathophysiology of ASD and identify possible therapeutic targets.
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18
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Abstract
Abstract
Why do humans make music? Theories of the evolution of musicality have focused mainly on the value of music for specific adaptive contexts such as mate selection, parental care, coalition signaling, and group cohesion. Synthesizing and extending previous proposals, we argue that social bonding is an overarching function that unifies all of these theories, and that musicality enabled social bonding at larger scales than grooming and other bonding mechanisms available in ancestral primate societies. We combine cross-disciplinary evidence from archaeology, anthropology, biology, musicology, psychology, and neuroscience into a unified framework that accounts for the biological and cultural evolution of music. We argue that the evolution of musicality involves gene-culture coevolution, through which proto-musical behaviors that initially arose and spread as cultural inventions had feedback effects on biological evolution due to their impact on social bonding. We emphasize the deep links between production, perception, prediction, and social reward arising from repetition, synchronization, and harmonization of rhythms and pitches, and summarize empirical evidence for these links at the levels of brain networks, physiological mechanisms, and behaviors across cultures and across species. Finally, we address potential criticisms and make testable predictions for future research, including neurobiological bases of musicality and relationships between human music, language, animal song, and other domains. The music and social bonding (MSB) hypothesis provides the most comprehensive theory to date of the biological and cultural evolution of music.
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19
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Association between diffusivity measures and language and cognitive-control abilities from early toddler’s age to childhood. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:1103-1122. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02062-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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20
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Fu L, Wang Y, Fang H, Xiao X, Xiao T, Li Y, Li C, Wu Q, Chu K, Xiao C, Ke X. Longitudinal Study of Brain Asymmetries in Autism and Developmental Delays Aged 2–5 Years. Neuroscience 2020; 432:137-149. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.02.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Revised: 02/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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21
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Altered structural brain connectivity involving the dorsal and ventral language pathways in 16p11.2 deletion syndrome. Brain Imaging Behav 2019; 13:430-445. [PMID: 29629500 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-018-9859-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Copy number variants at the chromosomal locus 16p11.2 contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and language and articulation disorders. Here, we provide detailed findings on the disrupted structural brain connectivity in 16p11.2 deletion syndrome (patients: N = 21, age range: 8-16 years; typically developing (TD) controls: 18, 9-16 years) using structural and diffusion MRI. We performed global short-, middle-, long-range, and interhemispheric connectivity analysis in the whole brain using gyral topology-based cortical parcellation. Using region of interest analysis, we studied bilateral dorsal (3 segments of arcuate fasciculus (AF)) and ventral (inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), uncinate fasciculus (UF)) language pathways. Our results showed significantly increased axial (AD) and radial (RD) diffusivities in bilateral anterior AF, decreased volume for left long AF, increased mean diffusivity (MD) and RD for right long AF, and increased AD for bilateral UF in the 16p11.2 deletion group in the absence of significant abnormalities in the whole-brain gyral and interhemispheric connectivity. The selective involvement of the language networks may aid in understanding effects of altered white matter connectivity on neurodevelopmental outcomes in 16p11.2 deletion.
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22
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Haffou H, El Mamouni H, Badrane N, El Abbassi Z, Soulaymani Bencheikh R. Intoxications au plomb. TOXICOLOGIE ANALYTIQUE ET CLINIQUE 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxac.2019.03.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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23
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Liu J, Tsang T, Jackson L, Ponting C, Jeste SS, Bookheimer SY, Dapretto M. Altered lateralization of dorsal language tracts in 6-week-old infants at risk for autism. Dev Sci 2019; 22:e12768. [PMID: 30372577 PMCID: PMC6470045 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Revised: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Altered structural connectivity has been identified as a possible biomarker of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in the developing brain. Core features of ASD include impaired social communication and early language delay. Thus, examining white matter tracts associated with language may lend further insight into early signs of ASD risk and the mechanisms that underlie language impairments associated with the disorder. Evidence of altered structural connectivity has previously been detected in 6-month-old infants at high familial risk for developing ASD. However, as language processing begins in utero, differences in structural connectivity between language regions may be present in the early infant brain shortly after birth. Here we investigated key white matter pathways of the dorsal language network in 6-week-old infants at high (HR) and low (LR) risk for ASD to identify atypicalities in structural connectivity that may predict altered developmental trajectories prior to overt language delays and the onset of ASD symptomatology. Compared to HR infants, LR infants showed higher fractional anisotropy (FA) in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF); in contrast, in the right SLF, HR infants showed higher FA than LR infants. Additionally, HR infants showed more rightward lateralization of the SLF. Across both groups, measures of FA and lateralization of these pathways at 6 weeks of age were related to later language development at 18 months of age as well as ASD symptomatology at 36 months of age. These findings indicate that early differences in the structure of language pathways may provide an early predictor of future language development and ASD risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle Liu
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tawny Tsang
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lisa Jackson
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carolyn Ponting
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shafali S. Jeste
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Susan Y. Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Center for Cognitive Neurosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mirella Dapretto
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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24
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Nomi JS, Molnar-Szakacs I, Uddin LQ. Insular function in autism: Update and future directions in neuroimaging and interventions. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 89:412-426. [PMID: 30381235 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The insular cortex, hidden within the lateral sulcus of the human brain, participates in a range of cognitive, affective, and sensory functions. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition affecting all of these functional domains, has increasingly been linked with atypical activation and connectivity of the insular cortices. Here we review the latest research linking atypical insular function to a range of behaviors characteristic of ASD, with an emphasis on neuroimaging findings in the domains of social cognition and executive function. We summarize some of the recent work linking the insula to interventions in autism, including oxytocin-based pharmacological treatments and music therapy. We suggest that future directions likely to yield significant insights into insular pathology in ASD include the analysis of the dynamics of this brain region. We also conclude that more basic research is necessary on the use of oxytocin pharmacotherapy, and larger studies addressing participant heterogeneity are needed on the use of music therapy in ASD. Long-term studies are needed to ascertain sustained effects of these interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S Nomi
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
| | | | - Lucina Q Uddin
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA; Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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25
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Lo YC, Chen YJ, Hsu YC, Chien YL, Gau SSF, Tseng WYI. Altered frontal aslant tracts as a heritable neural basis of social communication deficits in autism spectrum disorder: A sibling study using tract-based automatic analysis. Autism Res 2018; 12:225-238. [PMID: 30548800 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Investigating social behaviors and brain structural alterations in unaffected siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may help identify intermediate phenotypes of social communication deficits in ASD. This study hypothesized that such intermediate phenotypes could be identified in white matter tracts of the social communication model that exhibited reduced tract integrity and associations with social communication deficits. Boys with ASD (N = 30), unaffected male siblings (N = 27), and typically developing (TD) boys (N = 30) underwent clinical evaluation and MRI scanning. Group differences in generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) values, a white matter integrity index derived from diffusion MRI data, and the relationships of GFA with the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4-18) scores were investigated. Significant differences were found in the GFA values of the frontal aslant tract (FAT) among the three groups, with the decreasing order of GFA from TD to siblings to ASD. The GFA values of the FAT were associated with the social communication scores (on the SRS) in the sibling group, and those of the superior longitudinal fasciculus III were associated with the social problems scores (on the CBCL/4-18) in the boys with ASD. Due to the altered tract integrity and association with social communication deficits in the unaffected siblings of individuals with ASD, the FAT might be a heritable neural basis for social communication deficits of ASD. Autism Res 2019, 12: 225-238 © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of highly heritable disorders with social communication deficits as one of the core symptoms. This study aimed to identify a neural trait of social communication deficits in individuals with ASD. We investigated brain structural alterations and their associations with social communication scores in unaffected siblings of individuals with ASD. The siblings' frontal aslant tract was found to be impaired, and this tract showed a significant association with the social communication scores. Our findings support that the frontal aslant tract might be a potential neural trait of social communication deficits in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chun Lo
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Research Center of Brain and Consciousness, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jen Chen
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Chin Hsu
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ling Chien
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Susan Shur-Fen Gau
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Yih Isaac Tseng
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Molecular Imaging Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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26
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Larivière S, Vos de Wael R, Paquola C, Hong SJ, Mišić B, Bernasconi N, Bernasconi A, Bonilha L, Bernhardt BC. Microstructure-Informed Connectomics: Enriching Large-Scale Descriptions of Healthy and Diseased Brains. Brain Connect 2018; 9:113-127. [PMID: 30079754 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2018.0587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid advances in neuroimaging and network science have produced powerful tools and measures to appreciate human brain organization at multiple spatial and temporal scales. It is now possible to obtain increasingly meaningful representations of whole-brain structural and functional brain networks and to formally assess macroscale principles of network topology. In addition to its utility in characterizing healthy brain organization, individual variability, and life span-related changes, there is high promise of network neuroscience for the conceptualization and, ultimately, management of brain disorders. In the current review, we argue for a science of the human brain that, while strongly embracing macroscale connectomics, also recommends awareness of brain properties derived from meso- and microscale resolutions. Such features include MRI markers of tissue microstructure, local functional properties, as well as information from nonimaging domains, including cellular, genetic, or chemical data. Integrating these measures with connectome models promises to better define the individual elements that constitute large-scale networks, and clarify the notion of connection strength among them. By enriching the description of large-scale networks, this approach may improve our understanding of fundamental principles of healthy brain organization. Notably, it may also better define the substrate of prevalent brain disorders, including stroke, autism, as well as drug-resistant epilepsies that are each characterized by intriguing interactions between local anomalies and network-level perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Larivière
- 1 Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Reinder Vos de Wael
- 1 Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Casey Paquola
- 1 Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Seok-Jun Hong
- 1 Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.,2 NeuroImaging of Epilepsy Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Bratislav Mišić
- 3 Network Neuroscience Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Neda Bernasconi
- 2 NeuroImaging of Epilepsy Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Andrea Bernasconi
- 2 NeuroImaging of Epilepsy Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Leonardo Bonilha
- 4 Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- 1 Multimodal Imaging and Connectome Analysis Laboratory, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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27
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Drozd HP, Karathanasis SF, Molosh AI, Lukkes JL, Clapp DW, Shekhar A. From bedside to bench and back: Translating ASD models. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2018; 241:113-158. [PMID: 30447753 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) represent a heterogeneous group of disorders defined by deficits in social interaction/communication and restricted interests, behaviors, or activities. Models of ASD, developed based on clinical data and observations, are used in basic science, the "bench," to better understand the pathophysiology of ASD and provide therapeutic options for patients in the clinic, the "bedside." Translational medicine creates a bridge between the bench and bedside that allows for clinical and basic science discoveries to challenge one another to improve the opportunities to bring novel therapies to patients. From the clinical side, biomarker work is expanding our understanding of possible mechanisms of ASD through measures of behavior, genetics, imaging modalities, and serum markers. These biomarkers could help to subclassify patients with ASD in order to better target treatments to a more homogeneous groups of patients most likely to respond to a candidate therapy. In turn, basic science has been responding to developments in clinical evaluation by improving bench models to mechanistically and phenotypically recapitulate the ASD phenotypes observed in clinic. While genetic models are identifying novel therapeutics targets at the bench, the clinical efforts are making progress by defining better outcome measures that are most representative of meaningful patient responses. In this review, we discuss some of these challenges in translational research in ASD and strategies for the bench and bedside to bridge the gap to achieve better benefits to patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley P Drozd
- Program in Medical Neurobiology, Stark Neurosciences Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Sotirios F Karathanasis
- Program in Medical Neurobiology, Stark Neurosciences Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Andrei I Molosh
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Jodi L Lukkes
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - D Wade Clapp
- Department of Pediatrics, Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Anantha Shekhar
- Program in Medical Neurobiology, Stark Neurosciences Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Indiana Clinical and Translation Sciences Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
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28
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Baumer FM, Peters JM, Clancy S, Prohl AK, Prabhu SP, Scherrer B, Jansen FE, Braun KPJ, Sahin M, Stamm A, Warfield SK. Corpus Callosum White Matter Diffusivity Reflects Cumulative Neurological Comorbidity in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Cereb Cortex 2018; 28:3665-3672. [PMID: 29939236 PMCID: PMC6132277 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neurological manifestations in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) are highly variable. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) may reflect the neurological disease burden. We analyzed the association of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID) and epilepsy with callosal DTI metrics in subjects with and without TSC. METHODS 186 children underwent 3T MRI DTI: 51 with TSC (19 with concurrent ASD), 46 with non-syndromic ASD and 89 healthy controls (HC). Subgroups were based on presence of TSC, ASD, ID, and epilepsy. Density-weighted DTI metrics obtained from tractography of the corpus callosum were fitted using a 2-parameter growth model. We estimated distributions using bootstrapping and calculated half-life and asymptote of the fitted curves. RESULTS TSC was associated with a lower callosal fractional anisotropy (FA) than ASD, and ASD with a lower FA than HC. ID, epilepsy and ASD diagnosis were each associated with lower FA values, demonstrating additive effects. In TSC, the largest change in FA was related to a comorbid diagnosis of ASD. Mean diffusivity (MD) showed an inverse relationship to FA. Some subgroups were too small for reliable data fitting. CONCLUSIONS Using a cross-disorder approach, this study demonstrates cumulative abnormality of callosal white matter diffusion with increasing neurological comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona M Baumer
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jurriaan M Peters
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Pediatric Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sean Clancy
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anna K Prohl
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanjay P Prabhu
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Benoit Scherrer
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Floor E Jansen
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Pediatric Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Kees P J Braun
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, Department of Pediatric Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mustafa Sahin
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aymeric Stamm
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Laboratory for Modeling and Scientific Computing (MOX), Dipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
| | - Simon K Warfield
- Computational Radiology Laboratory, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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29
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Karahanoğlu FI, Baran B, Nguyen QTH, Meskaldji DE, Yendiki A, Vangel M, Santangelo SL, Manoach DS. Diffusion-weighted imaging evidence of altered white matter development from late childhood to early adulthood in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Neuroimage Clin 2018; 19:840-847. [PMID: 29946509 PMCID: PMC6008282 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is thought to reflect disrupted development of brain connectivity characterized by white matter abnormalities and dyscoordination of activity across brain regions that give rise to core features. But there is little consensus about the nature, timing and location of white matter abnormalities as quantified with diffusion-weighted MRI. Inconsistent findings likely reflect small sample sizes, motion confounds and sample heterogeneity, particularly different age ranges across studies. We examined the microstructural integrity of major white matter tracts in relation to age in 38 high functioning ASD and 35 typically developing (TD) participants, aged 8-25, whose diffusion-weighted scans met strict data-quality criteria and survived group matching for motion. While there were no overall group differences in diffusion measures, the groups showed different relations with age. Only the TD group showed the expected positive correlations of fractional anisotropy with age. In parallel, axial diffusivity was unrelated to age in TD, but showed inverse correlations with age in ASD. Younger participants with ASD tended to have higher fractional anisotropy and axial diffusivity than their TD peers, while the opposite was true for older participants. Most of the affected tracts - cingulum bundle, inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculi - are association bundles related to cognitive, social and emotional functions that are abnormal in ASD. The manifestations of abnormal white matter development in ASD as measured by diffusion-weighted MRI depend on age and this may contribute to inconsistent findings across studies. We conclude that ASD is characterized by altered white matter development from childhood to early adulthood that may underlie abnormal brain function and contribute to core features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fikret Işık Karahanoğlu
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, United States.
| | - Bengi Baran
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Quynh Trang Huong Nguyen
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Djalel-Eddine Meskaldji
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anastasia Yendiki
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, United States; Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mark Vangel
- Department of Biostatistics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Susan L Santangelo
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Maine Medical Center Research Institute, Scarborough, ME, United States; Tufts University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Dara S Manoach
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, United States
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30
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Zhang L, Li K, Zhang C, Qi X, Zheng N, Wang G. Arcuate Fasciculus in Autism Spectrum Disorder Toddlers with Language Regression. Open Med (Wars) 2018; 13:90-95. [PMID: 29607418 PMCID: PMC5874511 DOI: 10.1515/med-2018-0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Language regression is observed in a subset of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as initial symptom. However, such a phenomenon has not been fully explored, partly due to the lack of definite diagnostic evaluation methods and criteria. Materials and Methods: Fifteen toddlers with ASD exhibiting language regression and fourteen age-matched typically developing (TD) controls underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTI parameters including fractional anisotropy (FA), average fiber length (AFL), tract volume (TV) and number of voxels (NV) were analyzed by Neuro 3D in Siemens syngo workstation. Subsequently, the data were analyzed by using IBM SPSS Statistics 22. Results: Compared with TD children, a significant reduction of FA along with an increase in TV and NV was observed in ASD children with language regression. Note that there were no significant differences between ASD and TD children in AFL of the arcuate fasciculus (AF). Conclusions: These DTI changes in the AF suggest that microstructural anomalies of the AF white matter may be associated with language deficits in ASD children exhibiting language regression starting from an early age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhang
- Department of MR, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Kailong Li
- Department of Ultrasound Diagnosis, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining272029, China
| | - Chengqi Zhang
- Department of Medical Imaging, Qianfoshan Hospital, Affiliated to Shandong University, Jinan250014, China
| | - Xianlong Qi
- Department of Radiology, Jining No.1 People's Hospital, Jining272011, China
| | - Ning Zheng
- Department of Radiology, Jining No.1 People's Hospital, Jining272011, China
| | - Guangbin Wang
- Department of MR, Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China
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31
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Chenausky KV, Schlaug G. From intuition to intervention: developing an intonation-based treatment for autism. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1423:10.1111/nyas.13609. [PMID: 29508403 PMCID: PMC6127010 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Autism affects ∼1.5% of children under age 8; its core symptoms include impairment in social-communicative functioning and repetitive behaviors/restricted interests. Music-based interventions have been considered one modality through which to treat autism. This report discusses considerations to take into account when developing a music-based intervention for a core symptom of autism. Treatment modality must be matched to symptom both clinically and theoretically, the behavior to be treated must be carefully defined and assessed, and outcome measures must be capable of showing improvement in that behavior over the course of the study. Fidelity assessment and rater blinding reduce experimenter bias. High inter-rater reliability for perceptually determined outcome measures helps obtain accurate estimates of treatment response. Later stages of testing compare the experimental intervention to matched control treatments or other validated therapies, isolating the intervention's "active ingredients." Such systematic investigation of a new music-based intervention can provide information of different types, ranging from an assessment of whether the intervention has any effect at all to an assessment of its outcomes and risks in uncontrolled community settings. Findings ultimately compose the evidence base that clinicians and families can use to decide the most effective way of addressing symptoms of autism for particular children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen V Chenausky
- Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gottfried Schlaug
- Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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32
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Im WY, Ha JH, Kim EJ, Cheon KA, Cho J, Song DH. Impaired White Matter Integrity and Social Cognition in High-Function Autism: Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study. Psychiatry Investig 2018; 15:292-299. [PMID: 29486546 PMCID: PMC5900363 DOI: 10.30773/pi.2017.08.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE It is known that many of the cognitive and social deficits associated with autism can arise from abnormal functional connectivity between brain networks. This aberrant functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be explained by impaired integrity of white matter tracts that link distant regions of the networks. METHODS We investigated white matter in 9 children with high-function autism (HFA) compared to 13 typically developing controls using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The aim of this research is to provide supporting evidence for abnormalities in neural connectivity as an underlying pathophysiology of the main characteristics of ASD. RESULTS We found impairment of neural connectivity, mainly in association fiber tracts as evidenced by decreased fractional anisotropy (FA), the index of white matter integrity, of these tracts. Among them, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) had a significant relationship with ADI-R score. The inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF) and superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) also showed decreased FA. Decreased FA of ILF and SLF had negative correlations with scores of social interaction. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that widespread abnormalities in association fiber tracts may contribute to both core and associated symptoms of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo Young Im
- Department of Psychiatry and Myunggok Medical Research Institute, Konyang University College of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
- Department of Medicine, the Graduate School of Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hye Ha
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Metropolitan Eunpyeong Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Joo Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Keun-Ah Cheon
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeil Cho
- Yonsei Soul Psychiatric Clinic, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Ho Song
- Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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33
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Wei L, Zhong S, Nie S, Gong G. Aberrant development of the asymmetry between hemispheric brain white matter networks in autism spectrum disorder. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2018; 28:48-62. [PMID: 29224969 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2017.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Atypical brain asymmetry/lateralization has long been hypothesized for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and this model has been repeatedly supported by various neuroimaging studies. Recently, hemispheric network topologies have been found to be asymmetric, thereby providing a new avenue for investigating brain asymmetries under various conditions. To date, however, how network topological asymmetries are altered in ASD remains largely unexplored. To clarify this, the present study included ASD individuals from the newly released Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange II database (58 right-handed male ASD individuals aged 5 to 26 years and 70 age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) individuals). Diffusion and structural magnetic resonance imaging were used to construct hemispheric white matter networks, and graph-theory approaches were applied to quantify topological efficiencies for hemispheric networks. Statistical analyses revealed a decreased rightward asymmetry of network efficiencies with increasing age in the TD group, but not in the ASD group. More specifically, the TD group did not exhibit an age-related increase in network efficiency in the right hemisphere, but the ASD group did. For the left hemisphere, no difference between the groups was observed for the developmental trajectory of network efficiencies. Intriguingly, within the ASD group, more severe restricted and repetitive behavior in ASD was found to be correlated with less rightward asymmetry of network local efficiency. These findings provide suggestive evidence of atypical network topological asymmetries and offer important insights into the abnormal development of ASD brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Wei
- Institute of Medical Imaging Engineering, School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China; Laiwu Vocational and Technical College, Laiwu, Shandong, China
| | - Suyu Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning &IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Shengdong Nie
- Institute of Medical Imaging Engineering, School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
| | - Gaolang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning &IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
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34
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Qin B, Wang L, Zhang Y, Cai J, Chen J, Li T. Enhanced Topological Network Efficiency in Preschool Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:278. [PMID: 29997534 PMCID: PMC6030375 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The functional mechanism behind autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not clear, but it is related to a brain connectivity disorder. Previous studies have found that functional brain connectivity of ASD is linked to both increased connections and weakened connections, and the inconsistencies in functional brain connectivity may be related to age. The functional connectivity in adolescents and adults with ASD is generally less than in age-matched controls; functional connectivity in younger children with the disorder appears to be higher. As the basis of the functional network, the structural network is less studied. This study intends to further study the pathogenesis of ASD by analyzing the white matter network of ASD preschool children. Materials and Methods: In this study, Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) was used to scan preschool children (aged 2-6 years, 39 children with ASD, 19 children as controls), and graph theory was used for analysis. Result: Enhanced topological network efficiency was found in the preschool children with ASD. A higher nodal efficiency was found in the left precuneus, thalamus, and bilateral superior parietal cortex, and the nodal efficiency of the left precuneus was positively associated with the severity of ASD. Conclusion: Our research shows the white matter network efficiency of preschoolers with ASD. It supports the theory of excessive early brain growth in ASD, and it shows left brain lateralization. It opens the way for new research perspectives of children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Qin
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Longlun Wang
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yun Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jinhua Cai
- Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Children Nutrition Research Center, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Chongqing, China
| | - Tingyu Li
- Children Nutrition Research Center, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Medical Research in Cognitive Development and Learning and Memory Disorders, Chongqing, China
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35
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Martínez K, Merchán-Naranjo J, Pina-Camacho L, Alemán-Gómez Y, Boada L, Fraguas D, Moreno C, Arango C, Janssen J, Parellada M. Atypical age-dependency of executive function and white matter microstructure in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2017; 26:1361-1376. [PMID: 28447268 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-017-0990-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Executive function (EF) performance is associated with measurements of white matter microstructure (WMS) in typical individuals. Impaired EF is a hallmark symptom of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) but it is unclear how impaired EF relates to variability in WMS. Twenty-one male youth (8-18 years) with ASD and without intellectual disability and twenty-one typical male participants (TP) matched for age, intelligence quotient, handedness, race and parental socioeconomic status were recruited. Five EF domains were assessed and several DTI-based measurements of WMS [fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) and radial diffusivity (RD)] were estimated for eighteen white matter tracts. The ASD group had lower scores for attention (F = 8.37, p = 0.006) and response inhibition (F = 13.09, p = 0.001). Age-dependent changes of EF performance and WMS measurements were present in TP but attenuated in the ASD group. The strongest diagnosis-by-age effect was found for forceps minor, left anterior thalamic radiation and left cingulum angular bundle (all p's ≤ 0.002). In these tracts subjects with ASD tended to have equal or increased FA and/or reduced MD and/or RD at younger ages while controls had increased FA and/or reduced MD and/or RD thereafter. Only for TP individuals, increased FA in the left anterior thalamic radiation was associated with better response inhibition, while reduced RD in forceps minor and left cingulum angular bundle was related to better problem solving and working memory performance respectively. These findings provide novel insight into the age-dependency of EF performance and WMS in ASD, which can be instructive to cognitive training programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenia Martínez
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain. .,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain. .,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain. .,Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. .,Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Edificio prefabricado, entrada por Máiquez 9, 28009, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Jessica Merchán-Naranjo
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Pina-Camacho
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yasser Alemán-Gómez
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Leticia Boada
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - David Fraguas
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Moreno
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Celso Arango
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.,Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Joost Janssen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.,Department of Psychiatry, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mara Parellada
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IISGM), Madrid, Spain.,Ciber del área de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, Spain.,Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Zhang F, Savadjiev P, Cai W, Song Y, Rathi Y, Tunç B, Parker D, Kapur T, Schultz RT, Makris N, Verma R, O'Donnell LJ. Whole brain white matter connectivity analysis using machine learning: An application to autism. Neuroimage 2017; 172:826-837. [PMID: 29079524 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we propose an automated white matter connectivity analysis method for machine learning classification and characterization of white matter abnormality via identification of discriminative fiber tracts. The proposed method uses diffusion MRI tractography and a data-driven approach to find fiber clusters corresponding to subdivisions of the white matter anatomy. Features extracted from each fiber cluster describe its diffusion properties and are used for machine learning. The method is demonstrated by application to a pediatric neuroimaging dataset from 149 individuals, including 70 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 79 typically developing controls (TDC). A classification accuracy of 78.33% is achieved in this cross-validation study. We investigate the discriminative diffusion features based on a two-tensor fiber tracking model. We observe that the mean fractional anisotropy from the second tensor (associated with crossing fibers) is most affected in ASD. We also find that local along-tract (central cores and endpoint regions) differences between ASD and TDC are helpful in differentiating the two groups. These altered diffusion properties in ASD are associated with multiple robustly discriminative fiber clusters, which belong to several major white matter tracts including the corpus callosum, arcuate fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus and aslant tract; and the white matter structures related to the cerebellum, brain stem, and ventral diencephalon. These discriminative fiber clusters, a small part of the whole brain tractography, represent the white matter connections that could be most affected in ASD. Our results indicate the potential of a machine learning pipeline based on white matter fiber clustering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Zhang
- Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA.
| | | | | | - Yang Song
- University of Sydney, Sydney NSW, Australia
| | | | - Birkan Tunç
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - Drew Parker
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | | | - Robert T Schultz
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA; Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | | | - Ragini Verma
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
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Fitzgerald J, Leemans A, Kehoe E, O'Hanlon E, Gallagher L, McGrath J. Abnormal fronto-parietal white matter organisation in the superior longitudinal fasciculus branches in autism spectrum disorders. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 47:652-661. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Fitzgerald
- Department of Psychiatry; School of Medicine; Trinity College Dublin; Dublin Ireland
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience; Trinity College Dublin; Lloyd Building Dublin Ireland
| | - Alexander Leemans
- Image Sciences Institute; University Medical Center Utrecht; Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Elizabeth Kehoe
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience; Trinity College Dublin; Lloyd Building Dublin Ireland
| | - Erik O'Hanlon
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience; Trinity College Dublin; Lloyd Building Dublin Ireland
- Department of Psychiatry; Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; Dublin Ireland
| | - Louise Gallagher
- Department of Psychiatry; School of Medicine; Trinity College Dublin; Dublin Ireland
- Linndara Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service; Dublin Ireland
| | - Jane McGrath
- Department of Psychiatry; School of Medicine; Trinity College Dublin; Dublin Ireland
- Linndara Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service; Dublin Ireland
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38
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Elevated Levels of Atypical Handedness in Autism: Meta-Analyses. Neuropsychol Rev 2017; 27:258-283. [DOI: 10.1007/s11065-017-9354-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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39
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Pulvermüller F. Neural reuse of action perception circuits for language, concepts and communication. Prog Neurobiol 2017; 160:1-44. [PMID: 28734837 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2017.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Neurocognitive and neurolinguistics theories make explicit statements relating specialized cognitive and linguistic processes to specific brain loci. These linking hypotheses are in need of neurobiological justification and explanation. Recent mathematical models of human language mechanisms constrained by fundamental neuroscience principles and established knowledge about comparative neuroanatomy offer explanations for where, when and how language is processed in the human brain. In these models, network structure and connectivity along with action- and perception-induced correlation of neuronal activity co-determine neurocognitive mechanisms. Language learning leads to the formation of action perception circuits (APCs) with specific distributions across cortical areas. Cognitive and linguistic processes such as speech production, comprehension, verbal working memory and prediction are modelled by activity dynamics in these APCs, and combinatorial and communicative-interactive knowledge is organized in the dynamics within, and connections between APCs. The network models and, in particular, the concept of distributionally-specific circuits, can account for some previously not well understood facts about the cortical 'hubs' for semantic processing and the motor system's role in language understanding and speech sound recognition. A review of experimental data evaluates predictions of the APC model and alternative theories, also providing detailed discussion of some seemingly contradictory findings. Throughout, recent disputes about the role of mirror neurons and grounded cognition in language and communication are assessed critically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friedemann Pulvermüller
- Brain Language Laboratory, Department of Philosophy & Humanities, WE4, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Berlin 10117 Berlin, Germany.
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40
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Lo YC, Chen YJ, Hsu YC, Tseng WYI, Gau SSF. Reduced tract integrity of the model for social communication is a neural substrate of social communication deficits in autism spectrum disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2017; 58:576-585. [PMID: 27677901 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with social communication deficits as one of the core symptoms. Recently, a five-level model for the social communication has been proposed in which white matter tracts corresponding to each level of the model are identified. Given that the model for social communication subserves social language functions, we hypothesized that the tract integrity of the model for social communication may be reduced in ASD, and the reduction may be related to social communication deficits. METHODS Sixty-two right-handed boys with ASD and 55 typically developing (TD) boys received clinical evaluations, intelligence tests, the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), and MRI scans. Generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) was measured by diffusion spectrum imaging to indicate the microstructural integrity of the tracts for each level of the social communication model. Group difference in the tract integrity and its relationship with the SCQ subscales of social communication and social interaction were investigated. RESULTS We found that the GFA values of the superior longitudinal fasciculus III (SLF III, level 1) and the frontal aslant tracts (FAT, level 2) were decreased in ASD compared to TD. Moreover, the GFA values of the SLF III and the FAT were associated with the social interaction subscale in ASD. CONCLUSIONS The tract integrity of the model for social communication is reduced in ASD, and the reduction is associated with impaired social interaction. Our results support that reduced tract integrity of the model for social communication might be a neural substrate of social communication deficits in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Chun Lo
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,The Ph.D. Program for Neural Regenerative Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jen Chen
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yung-Chin Hsu
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Yih Isaac Tseng
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Molecular Imaging Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Susan Shur-Fen Gau
- Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
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41
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Chenausky K, Kernbach J, Norton A, Schlaug G. White Matter Integrity and Treatment-Based Change in Speech Performance in Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:175. [PMID: 28424605 PMCID: PMC5380725 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated the relationship between imaging variables for two language/speech-motor tracts and speech fluency variables in 10 minimally verbal (MV) children with autism. Specifically, we tested whether measures of white matter integrity—fractional anisotropy (FA) of the arcuate fasciculus (AF) and frontal aslant tract (FAT)—were related to change in percent syllable-initial consonants correct, percent items responded to, and percent syllable insertion errors (from best baseline to post 25 treatment sessions). Twenty-three MV children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) received Auditory-Motor Mapping Training (AMMT), an intonation-based treatment to improve fluency in spoken output, and we report on seven who received a matched control treatment. Ten of the AMMT participants were able to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging study at baseline; their performance on baseline speech production measures is compared to that of the other two groups. No baseline differences were found between groups. A canonical correlation analysis (CCA) relating FA values for left- and right-hemisphere AF and FAT to speech production measures showed that FA of the left AF and right FAT were the largest contributors to the synthetic independent imaging-related variable. Change in percent syllable-initial consonants correct and percent syllable-insertion errors were the largest contributors to the synthetic dependent fluency-related variable. Regression analyses showed that FA values in left AF significantly predicted change in percent syllable-initial consonants correct, no FA variables significantly predicted change in percent items responded to, and FA of right FAT significantly predicted change in percent syllable-insertion errors. Results are consistent with previously identified roles for the AF in mediating bidirectional mapping between articulation and acoustics, and the FAT in its relationship to speech initiation and fluency. They further suggest a division of labor between the hemispheres, implicating the left hemisphere in accuracy of speech production and the right hemisphere in fluency in this population. Changes in response rate are interpreted as stemming from factors other than the integrity of these two fiber tracts. This study is the first to document the existence of a subgroup of MV children who experience increases in syllable- insertion errors as their speech develops in response to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Chenausky
- Department of Neurology, Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterBoston, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, USA
| | - Julius Kernbach
- Department of Neurology, Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterBoston, MA, USA.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, RWTH Aachen UniversityAachen, Germany
| | - Andrea Norton
- Department of Neurology, Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterBoston, MA, USA
| | - Gottfried Schlaug
- Department of Neurology, Music, Neuroimaging, and Stroke Recovery Laboratory, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterBoston, MA, USA.,Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical SchoolBoston, MA, USA
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42
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Yordanova YN, Duffau H, Herbet G. Neural pathways subserving face-based mentalizing. Brain Struct Funct 2017; 222:3087-3105. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-017-1388-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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43
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Finch KH, Seery AM, Talbott MR, Nelson CA, Tager-Flusberg H. Lateralization of ERPs to speech and handedness in the early development of Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Neurodev Disord 2017; 9:4. [PMID: 28174606 PMCID: PMC5292148 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-017-9185-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Language is a highly lateralized function, with typically developing individuals showing left hemispheric specialization. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show reduced or reversed hemispheric lateralization in response to language. However, it is unclear when this difference emerges and whether or not it can serve as an early ASD biomarker. Additionally, atypical language lateralization is not specific to ASD as it is also seen more frequently in individuals with mixed- and left-handedness. Here, we examined early asymmetry patterns measured through neural responses to speech sounds at 12 months and behavioral observations of handedness at 36 months in children with and without ASD. METHODS Three different groups of children participated in the study: low-risk controls (LRC), high risk for ASD (HRA; infants with older sibling with ASD) without ASD, and HRA infants who later receive a diagnosis of ASD (ASD). Event-related potentials (ERPs) to speech sounds were recorded at 12 months. Utilizing a novel observational approach, handedness was measured by hand preference on a variety of behaviors at 36 months. RESULTS At 12 months, lateralization patterns of ERPs to speech stimuli differed across the groups with the ASD group showing reversed lateralization compared to the LRC group. At 36 months, factor analysis of behavioral observations of hand preferences indicated a one-factor model with medium to high factor loadings. A composite handedness score was derived; no group differences were observed. There was no association between lateralization to speech at 12 months and handedness at 36 months in the LRC and HRA groups. However, children with ASD did show an association such that infants with lateralization patterns more similar to the LRC group at 12 months were stronger right-handers at 36 months. CONCLUSIONS These results highlight early developmental patterns that might be specific to ASD, including a potential early biomarker of reversed lateralization to speech stimuli at 12 months, and a relation between behavioral and neural asymmetries. Future investigations of early asymmetry patterns, especially atypical hemispheric specialization, may be informative in the early identification of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla H Finch
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215 USA
| | - Anne M Seery
- New York University School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital Center, 462 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016 USA
| | - Meagan R Talbott
- MIND Institute, University of California Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817 USA
| | - Charles A Nelson
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 1 Autumn Street, Boston, MA 02215 USA.,Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02215 USA.,Harvard Graduate School of Education, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
| | - Helen Tager-Flusberg
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215 USA
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Bernhardt BC, Di Martino A, Valk SL, Wallace GL. Neuroimaging-Based Phenotyping of the Autism Spectrum. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2017; 30:341-355. [PMID: 26946501 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2016_438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in neuroimaging have offered a rich array of structural and functional markers to probe the organization of regional and large-scale brain networks. The current chapter provides a brief introduction into these techniques and overviews their contribution to the understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition associated with atypical social cognition, language function, and repetitive behaviors/interests. While it is generally recognized that ASD relates to structural and functional network anomalies, the extent and overall pattern of reported findings have been rather heterogeneous. Indeed, while several attempts have been made to label the main neuroimaging phenotype of ASD (e.g., 'early brain overgrowth hypothesis', 'amygdala theory', 'disconnectivity hypothesis'), none of these frameworks has been without controversy. Methodological sources of inconsistent results may include differences in subject inclusion criteria, variability in image processing, and analysis methodology. However, inconsistencies may also relate to high heterogeneity across the autism spectrum itself. It, therefore, remains to be investigated whether a consistent imaging phenotype that adequately describes the entire autism spectrum can, in fact, be established. On the other hand, as previous findings clearly emphasize the value of neuroimaging in identifying atypical brain morphology, function, and connectivity, they ultimately support its high potential to identify biologically and clinically relevant endophenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris C Bernhardt
- Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Adriana Di Martino
- Autism Research Program at the NYU Child Study Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sofie L Valk
- Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gregory L Wallace
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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45
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Ecker C, Schmeisser MJ, Loth E, Murphy DG. Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Humans. ADVANCES IN ANATOMY, EMBRYOLOGY, AND CELL BIOLOGY 2017; 224:27-48. [PMID: 28551749 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-52498-6_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition that is associated with differences in brain anatomy and connectivity. Yet, the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underpin the atypical developmental of the brain in ASD remain poorly understood. Here, we review the findings of in vivo neuroimaging studies examining the time course of atypical brain development in ASD and relate the different neurodevelopmental stages that are atypical in ASD to the known neurobiological mechanisms that drive the maturation of the typically developing brain. In particular, we focus on the notion of 'early brain overgrowth' in ASD, which may lead to differences in the formation of the brain's micro- and macro-circuitry. Moreover, we attempt to link the in vivo reports describing differences in brain anatomy and connectivity on the macroscopic level to the increasing number of post-mortem studies examining the neural architecture of the brain in ASD on the microscopic level. In addition, we discuss future directions and outstanding questions in this particular field of research and highlight the need for establishing the link between micro- and macro-pathology in the same set of individuals with ASD based on advances in genetic, molecular and imaging techniques. In combination, these may proof to be invaluable for patient stratification and the development of novel pharmacotherapies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Ecker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK.
| | - Michael J Schmeisser
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Division of Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Eva Loth
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
| | - Declan G Murphy
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London, UK
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Reduced Hemispheric Asymmetry of White Matter Microstructure in Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2016; 55:1073-1080. [PMID: 27871642 PMCID: PMC5125511 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2016.09.491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Revised: 09/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Many past studies have suggested atypical functional and anatomical hemispheric asymmetries in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, almost all of these have examined only language-related asymmetries. Here, we conduct a comprehensive investigation of microstructural asymmetries across a large number of fiber tracts in ASD. METHOD We used diffusion tensor imaging for a comprehensive investigation of anatomical white matter asymmetries across the entire white matter skeleton, using tract-based spatial statistics in 41 children and adolescents with ASD and a matched group of 44 typically developing (TD) participants. RESULTS We found significant asymmetries in the TD group, being rightward for fractional anisotropy and leftward for mean diffusivity (with concordant asymmetries for radial and axial diffusivity). These asymmetries were significantly reduced in the group with ASD: in whole brain analysis for fractional anisotropy, and in a region where several major association and projection tracts travel in close proximity within occipital white matter for mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. No correlations between global white matter asymmetry and age or socio-communicative abilities were detected. CONCLUSION Our findings in TD children and adolescents can be interpreted as reflecting different processing modes (more integrative in the right and more specialized in the left hemisphere). These asymmetries and the "division of labor" between hemispheres implied by them appear to be diminished in autism spectrum disorder.
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Chenausky K, Norton A, Tager-Flusberg H, Schlaug G. Auditory-Motor Mapping Training: Comparing the Effects of a Novel Speech Treatment to a Control Treatment for Minimally Verbal Children with Autism. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164930. [PMID: 27829034 PMCID: PMC5102445 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
This study compared Auditory-Motor Mapping Training (AMMT), an intonation-based treatment for facilitating spoken language in minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), to a matched control treatment, Speech Repetition Therapy (SRT). 23 minimally verbal children with ASD (20 male, mean age 6;5) received at least 25 sessions of AMMT. Seven (all male) were matched on age and verbal ability to seven participants (five male) who received SRT. Outcome measures were Percent Syllables Approximated, Percent Consonants Correct (of 86), and Percent Vowels Correct (of 61) produced on two sets of 15 bisyllabic stimuli. All subjects were assessed on these measures several times at baseline and after 10, 15, 20, and 25 sessions. The post-25 session assessment timepoint, common to all participants, was compared to Best Baseline performance. Overall, after 25 sessions, AMMT participants increased by 19.4% Syllables Approximated, 13.8% Consonants Correct, and19.1% Vowels Correct, compared to Best Baseline. In the matched AMMT-SRT group, after 25 sessions, AMMT participants produced 29.0% more Syllables Approximated (SRT 3.6%);17.9% more Consonants Correct (SRT 0.5); and 17.6% more Vowels Correct (SRT 0.8%). Chi-square tests showed that significantly more AMMT than SRT participants in both the overall and matched groups improved significantly in number of Syllables Approximated per stimulus and number of Consonants Correct per stimulus. Pre-treatment ability to imitate phonemes, but not chronological age or baseline performance on outcome measures, was significantly correlated with amount of improvement after 25 sessions. Intonation-based therapy may offer a promising new interventional approach for teaching spoken language to minimally verbal children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Chenausky
- Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America
- Center for Autism Research Excellence, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, United States of America
| | - Andrea Norton
- Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America
| | - Helen Tager-Flusberg
- Center for Autism Research Excellence, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, United States of America
| | - Gottfried Schlaug
- Music and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States of America
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Libero LE, Burge WK, Deshpande HD, Pestilli F, Kana RK. White Matter Diffusion of Major Fiber Tracts Implicated in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Connect 2016; 6:691-699. [PMID: 27555361 DOI: 10.1089/brain.2016.0442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder found to have widespread alterations in the function and synchrony of brain regions. These differences may underlie alterations in microstructural organization, such as in white matter pathways. To investigate the diffusion of major white matter tracts, the current study examined multiple indices of white matter diffusion in 42 children and adults with ASD and 44 typically developing (TD) age- and IQ-matched peers using diffusion tensor imaging. Diffusivity measures were compared between groups for the following tracts: bilateral cingulum bundle, corpus callosum, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and uncinate fasciculus. Results indicate a significant reduction in fractional anisotropy (FA) for the left superior longitudinal fasciculus (LSLF) in ASD children and adults compared with TD peers. A significant increase in radial diffusivity for ASD participants was also found in the same cluster along the LSLF. In addition, a significant positive correlation emerged for all subjects between FA for the LSLF and age, with FA increasing with age. These findings point to a significant alteration in long-distance white matter connectivity in children and adults with ASD, potentially underscoring the relationship between alterations in white matter diffusion and the ASD phenotype. These results also suggest that the white matter alterations in autism may be subtle and related to the developmental trajectory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Libero
- 1 UC Davis MIND Institute , Sacramento, California.,2 UC Davis Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Sacramento, California
| | - Wesley K Burge
- 3 Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
| | | | - Franco Pestilli
- 5 Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University , Bloomington, Indiana
| | - Rajesh K Kana
- 3 Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
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Chiang HL, Chen YJ, Lin HY, Tseng WYI, Gau SSF. Disorder-Specific Alteration in White Matter Structural Property in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder Relative to Adults With ADHD and Adult Controls. Hum Brain Mapp 2016; 38:384-395. [PMID: 27630075 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2015] [Revised: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not only often comorbid but also overlapped in behavioral and cognitive abnormalities. Little is known about whether these shared phenotypes are based on common or different underlying neuropathologies. Therefore, this study aims to examine the disorder-specific alterations in white matter (WM) structural property. METHOD The three comparison groups included 23 male adults with ASD (21.4 ± 3.1 years), 32 male adults with ADHD (23.4 ± 3.3 years), and 29 age-matched healthy male controls (22.4 ± 3.3 years). After acquisition of the diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI), whole brain tractography was reconstructed by a tract-based automatic analysis. Generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) values were computed to indicate tract-specific WM property with adjusted P value < 0.05 for false discovery rate correction. RESULTS Post hoc analyses revealed that men with ASD exhibited significant lower GFA values than men with ADHD and male controls in six identified fiber tracts: the right arcuate fasciculus, right cingulum (hippocampal part), anterior commissure, and three callosal fibers (ventrolateral prefrontal cortex part, precentral part, superior temporal part). There was no significant difference in the GFA values of any of the fiber tracts between men with ADHD and controls. In men with ASD, the GFA values of the right arcuate fasciculus and right cingulum (hippocampal part) were negatively associated with autistic social-deficit symptoms, and the anterior commissure GFA value was positively correlated with intelligence. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the disorder-specific alteration of the microstructural property of WM tracts in male adults with ASD. Hum Brain Mapp 38:384-395, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huey-Ling Chiang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jen Chen
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiang-Yuan Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Yih Isaac Tseng
- Institute of Medical Device and Imaging, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Susan Shur-Fen Gau
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Benítez-Burraco A, Lattanzi W, Murphy E. Language Impairments in ASD Resulting from a Failed Domestication of the Human Brain. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:373. [PMID: 27621700 PMCID: PMC5002430 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders entailing social and cognitive deficits, including marked problems with language. Numerous genes have been associated with ASD, but it is unclear how language deficits arise from gene mutation or dysregulation. It is also unclear why ASD shows such high prevalence within human populations. Interestingly, the emergence of a modern faculty of language has been hypothesized to be linked to changes in the human brain/skull, but also to the process of self-domestication of the human species. It is our intention to show that people with ASD exhibit less marked domesticated traits at the morphological, physiological, and behavioral levels. We also discuss many ASD candidates represented among the genes known to be involved in the “domestication syndrome” (the constellation of traits exhibited by domesticated mammals, which seemingly results from the hypofunction of the neural crest) and among the set of genes involved in language function closely connected to them. Moreover, many of these genes show altered expression profiles in the brain of autists. In addition, some candidates for domestication and language-readiness show the same expression profile in people with ASD and chimps in different brain areas involved in language processing. Similarities regarding the brain oscillatory behavior of these areas can be expected too. We conclude that ASD may represent an abnormal ontogenetic itinerary for the human faculty of language resulting in part from changes in genes important for the “domestication syndrome” and, ultimately, from the normal functioning of the neural crest.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wanda Lattanzi
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Rome, Italy
| | - Elliot Murphy
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London London, UK
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