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Degré-Pelletier J, Danis É, Thérien VD, Bernhardt B, Barbeau EB, Soulières I. Differential neural correlates underlying visuospatial versus semantic reasoning in autistic children. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:19-29. [PMID: 38696600 PMCID: PMC11065103 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae093] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
While fronto-posterior underconnectivity has often been reported in autism, it was shown that different contexts may modulate between-group differences in functional connectivity. Here, we assessed how different task paradigms modulate functional connectivity differences in a young autistic sample relative to typically developing children. Twenty-three autistic and 23 typically developing children aged 6 to 15 years underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning while completing a reasoning task with visuospatial versus semantic content. We observed distinct connectivity patterns in autistic versus typical children as a function of task type (visuospatial vs. semantic) and problem complexity (visual matching vs. reasoning), despite similar performance. For semantic reasoning problems, there was no significant between-group differences in connectivity. However, during visuospatial reasoning problems, we observed occipital-occipital, occipital-temporal, and occipital-frontal over-connectivity in autistic children relative to typical children. Also, increasing the complexity of visuospatial problems resulted in increased functional connectivity between occipital, posterior (temporal), and anterior (frontal) brain regions in autistic participants, more so than in typical children. Our results add to several studies now demonstrating that the connectivity alterations in autistic relative to neurotypical individuals are much more complex than previously thought and depend on both task type and task complexity and their respective underlying cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janie Degré-Pelletier
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada
- Montreal Cognitive Neuroscience Autism Research Group, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montreal, 7070, Boulevard Perras, Montréal, Quebec H1E 1A4, Canada
| | - Éliane Danis
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada
- Montreal Cognitive Neuroscience Autism Research Group, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montreal, 7070, Boulevard Perras, Montréal, Quebec H1E 1A4, Canada
| | - Véronique D Thérien
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada
- Montreal Cognitive Neuroscience Autism Research Group, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montreal, 7070, Boulevard Perras, Montréal, Quebec H1E 1A4, Canada
| | - Boris Bernhardt
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, 3801, University street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Elise B Barbeau
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Isabelle Soulières
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888 Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada
- Montreal Cognitive Neuroscience Autism Research Group, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montreal, 7070, Boulevard Perras, Montréal, Quebec H1E 1A4, Canada
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Melillo RJ, Leisman G, Machado C, Carmeli E. Identification and reduction of retained primitive reflexes by sensory stimulation in autism spectrum disorder: effects on qEEG networks and cognitive functions. BMJ Case Rep 2023; 16:e255285. [PMID: 38154865 PMCID: PMC10759118 DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2023-255285] [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] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Several authors have reported finding retained primitive reflexes (RPRs) in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This case report describes the reduction of RPRs and changes in cognitive function after transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) of muscle. Three individuals were examined in a study at the Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Havana, Cuba. Two child neurologists, not involved in the study, conducted clinical examinations on each participant and diagnosed each with ASD based on DSM-V criteria and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (an autism evaluation tool). Each child with ASD possessed a triad of impairments in three domains: social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviour. Individuals were evaluated by quantitative electroencephalographic measures and tested by standardised cognitive function tests before and after 12 weeks of intervention. These interventions were associated with reduced ASD symptoms in the three domains, significant changes in qEEG network connectivity and significantly improved performance on standardised cognitive tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert John Melillo
- Movement and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gerry Leisman
- Movement and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, Haifa, Israel
- Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Universidad de Ciencias Medicas de La Habana, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Calixto Machado
- Clinical Neurophysiology, Instituto de Neurologia y Neurocirugia, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Eli Carmeli
- Physical Therapy, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Zhu Y, Xu L, Yu J. Classification of autism based on short-term spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations using an adaptive graph neural network. J Neurosci Methods 2023:109901. [PMID: 37295750 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109901] [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: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short-term spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations were collected by the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system to classify children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typical development (TD), and to explore abnormalities in the left inferior frontal gyrus in ASD. METHODS Using the fNIRS data of 25 children with ASD and 22 children with TD, a graph neural network combined with the temporal convolution module and the graph convolution module was used, to extract the spatio-temporal features of the data and achieve accurate classification of ASD. RESULTS The graph neural network was used to obtain a good classification result in the left inferior frontal gyrus, with an accuracy of 97.1%, precision of 95.1%, and specificity of 93.4%. It was found that the 5th channel (which is located in BA 10) and the 8th channel (which is located in BA 47) in the left inferior frontal gyrus were closely correlated with ASD. COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUSLY USED METHOD(S) Compared with the previous deep learning model using the same input, the accuracy of our model has increased by up to 13%, and the correlation between channels in the left inferior frontal gyrus area with the best classification effect was explored through the graph neural network. CONCLUSION The adaptive graph neural network (AGNN) model may be able to mine more valuable information to distinguish ASD from TD and in addition, the left inferior frontal gyrus may have greater investigative value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Zhu
- School of Computer Engineering and Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lingyu Xu
- School of Computer Engineering and Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Institute for Advanced Communication and Data Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jie Yu
- School of Computer Engineering and Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
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Neural substrates of theory of mind in adults with autism spectrum disorder: An fMRI study of the social animation task. J Formos Med Assoc 2022:S0929-6646(22)00393-X. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2022.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Systematic Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis of Research Hotspots and Trends on Autism Spectrum Disorder Neuroimaging. DISEASE MARKERS 2022; 2022:3372217. [PMID: 35899177 PMCID: PMC9313970 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3372217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a chronic developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. The gold standard for the diagnosis of this condition is based on behavioral science, but research on the application of neurological detection to diagnose the atypical nervous system of ASD is ongoing. ASD neuroimaging research involves the examination of the brain's structure, functional connections, and neurometabolic. However, limited medical resource and the unique heterogeneity of ASD have resulted in many challenges when neuroimaging is utilized. Objective This bibliometric study is aimed at summarizing themes and trends in research on autism spectrum disorder neuroimaging and at proposing potential directions for future inquiry. Methods Citations were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection database on neuroimaging published from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021. The retrieved information was analyzed using Bibliometric.com, CiteSpace.5.8. R3, and VOS viewer. Results A total of 1,363 papers were published across 58 regions. The United States was the leading source of publications. The League of European Research Universities published the largest number of articles (171). Burst keywords from 2018 to 2021 include identification and network. The clusters of references that continued into 2020 included graph theory, functional connectivity, and classification, which represent key research topics. Conclusions Imaging data is being used to identify neuro-network models with higher accuracy for ASD discrimination. Functional near-infrared imaging is advantageous compared to other neuroimaging. In the future, research on systematic and accurate computer-aided diagnosis technology should be encouraged. Moreover, the study of neuroimaging of ASD in different psychological and behavioral states can inspire new ideas about the diagnosis and intervention training of ASD and should be explored.
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Lin YJ, Chiu YN, Wu YY, Tsai WC, Gau SSF. Developmental Changes of Autistic Symptoms, ADHD Symptoms, and Attentional Performance in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2022:10.1007/s10803-022-05445-x. [PMID: 35420295 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05445-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
This study followed up ADHD/autistic symptoms and attentional performance in children/adolescents with ASD and typically developing ones (TD) over 5-7 years. The participants were stratified by age at baseline into child (< 12 years) and adolescent (12-19 years) groups. ADHD symptoms, especially hyperactivity, and attentional functions significantly improved during follow-up, more in children than in adolescents, in both ASD and TD. Significantly more omission errors and perseverations were noted in ASD than TD through the follow-up. Children with ASD had more improvement in reaction time while adolescents with ASD had less improvement in commission errors and detectability than TD. No correlation of attentional functions and ADHD symptoms in ASD implied different neural mechanisms of ADHD symptoms between ASD and ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ju Lin
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, 10002, Taiwan.,Department of Psychiatry, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Nan Chiu
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, 10002, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Yu Wu
- YuNing Psychiatry Clinic, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Che Tsai
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, 10002, Taiwan
| | - Susan Shur-Fen Gau
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, 10002, Taiwan. .,Department of Psychology, Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, and Preventive Medicine, and Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Lai CH, Hsieh SK, Lee CL, Su LIW, Liu TH, Lu CR, Tsai IN, Chou TL. Neuro-Cognitive Differences in Semantic Processing Between Native Speakers and Proficient Learners of Mandarin Chinese. Front Psychol 2021; 12:781304. [PMID: 34867693 PMCID: PMC8637610 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.781304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the neural mechanism underlying semantic processing in Mandarin Chinese adult learners, focusing on the learners who were Indo-European language speakers with advanced levels of proficiency in Mandarin Chinese. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging technique and a semantic judgment task to test 24 Mandarin Chinese adult learners (L2 group) and 26 Mandarin Chinese adult native speakers (L1 group) as a control group. In the task, participants were asked to indicate whether two-character pairs were related in meaning. Compared to the L1 group, the L2 group had greater activation in the bilateral occipital regions, including the fusiform gyrus and middle occipital gyrus, as well as the right superior parietal lobule. On the other hand, less activation in the bilateral temporal regions was found in the L2 group relative to the L1 group. Correlation analysis further revealed that, within the L2 group, increased activation in the left middle temporal gyrus/superior temporal gyrus (M/STG, BA 21) was correlated with higher accuracy in the semantic judgment task as well as better scores in the two vocabulary tests, the Assessment of Chinese character list for grade 3 to grade 9 (A39) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. In addition, functional connectivity analysis showed that connectivity strength between the left fusiform gyrus and left ventral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG, BA 47) was modulated by the accuracy in the semantic judgment task in the L1 group. By contrast, this modulation effect was weaker in the L2 group. Taken together, our study suggests that Mandarin Chinese adult learners rely on greater recruitment of the bilateral occipital regions to process orthographic information to access the meaning of Chinese characters. Also, our correlation results provide convergent evidence that the left M/STG (BA 21) plays a crucial role in the storage of semantic knowledge for readers to access to conceptual information. Moreover, the connectivity results indicate that the left ventral pathway (left fusiform gyrus-left ventral IFG) is associated with orthographic-semantic processing in Mandarin Chinese. However, this semantic-related ventral pathway might require more time and language experience to be developed, especially for the late adult learners of Mandarin Chinese.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Ho Lai
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Kai Hsieh
- Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Lin Lee
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Lily I-Wen Su
- Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Te-Hsin Liu
- Graduate Program of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Rung Lu
- Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - I-Ni Tsai
- Graduate Program of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Li Chou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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