Abnormalities of intrinsic functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorders,

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.04.069

NeuroImage

Volume 47, Issue 2, 15 August 2009, Pages 764-772

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.04.069 Get rights and content

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) impact social functioning and communication, and individuals with these disorders often have restrictive and repetitive behaviors. Accumulating data indicate that ASD is associated with alterations of neural circuitry. Functional MRI (FMRI) studies have focused on connectivity in the context of psychological tasks. However, even in the absence of a task, the brain exhibits a high degree of functional connectivity, known as intrinsic or resting connectivity. Notably, the default network, which includes the posterior cingulate cortex, retro-splenial, lateral parietal cortex/angular gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex, superior frontal gyrus, temporal lobe, and parahippocampal gyrus, is strongly active when there is no task. Altered intrinsic connectivity within the default network may underlie offline processing that may actuate ASD impairments. Using FMRI, we sought to evaluate intrinsic connectivity within the default network in ASD. Relative to controls, the ASD group showed weaker connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and superior frontal gyrus and stronger connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and both the right temporal lobe and right parahippocampal gyrus. Moreover, poorer social functioning in the ASD group was correlated with weaker connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and the superior frontal gyrus. In addition, more severe restricted and repetitive behaviors in ASD were correlated with stronger connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex and right parahippocampal gyrus. These findings indicate that ASD subjects show altered intrinsic connectivity within the default network, and connectivity between these structures is associated with specific ASD symptoms.

Section snippets

Participants

Twelve adults with ASD and 12 comparison adults participated in the study. Table 1 provides details about the subject characteristics. Participants were recruited for the study through the University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center and through posted flyers. An ASD diagnosis was determined based on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (Lord et al., 2000), the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) (Lord, Rutter and Le Couteur, 1994) and clinical consensus (Lord

Results

Both the ASD and control groups separately showed functional connectivity that is comparable to what was reported in prior investigations of the default network (Shulman et al., 1997, Greicius et al., 2003, Fox et al., 2005) (Fig. 1). Using a conservative threshold of p = .05 family-wise error (FWE) correction, connectivity in both groups was evident in the posterior cingulate cortex, retro-splenial, lateral parietal cortex (bilateral), medial prefrontal cortex (bilateral), superior frontal

Discussion

The present study examined differences between the ASD and control groups in default network intrinsic functional connectivity. Both groups showed robust connectivity throughout the default network. However, relative to controls, the ASD subjects showed alterations in functional connectivity. Specifically, the ASD group showed weaker connectivity than controls between the posterior cingulate cortex and the right superior frontal gyrus. In addition, the ASD group showed stronger connectivity

Acknowledgments

We thank the families who participated. We also thank Dr. D. Noll for methodological advice, and H.M.C. Louro, K. Newnham and C. Hammond for technical support.

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^☆: Data from this study were presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, London, UK, May 2008.

^☆☆: This research was supported in part by the National Institutes Health (K22 MH068017 to C.S.M, U19 HD35482 to C.L. and MH066496 to C.L.). Drs. Lord and Risi receive royalties from a publisher of diagnostic instruments described in this paper. They give all profits generated by the University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center (UMACC) in regard to this paper and all other UMACC projects to a charity.

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Abnormalities of intrinsic functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorders,☆,☆☆

Abstract

Section snippets

Participants

Results

Discussion

Acknowledgments

NeuroImage

Neuron

Biol. Psychiatry.

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

Biol. Psychiatry

Neuron

Neuropsychologia

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

NeuroImage

Neurosci. Lett.

Brain. Res.

Neuroimage

Biol. Psychiatry.

Neuroimage

NeuroImage

Biol. Psychiatry

Schizophr. Res.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

Autism and abnormal development of brain connectivity

J. Neurosci.

Functional connectivity in the motor cortex of resting human brain using echo-planar MRI

Magn. Reson. Med.

The brain's default network: anatomy, function, and relevance to disease

Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci.

Functional connectivity in a baseline resting-state network in autism

NeuroReport

Understanding emotions in others: mirror neuron dysfunction in children with autism spectrum disorders

Nat. Neurosci.

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test

Does rejection hurt? An FMRI study of social exclusion

Science

The maturing architecture of the brain's default network

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.

Spontaneous fluctuations in brain activity observed with functional magnetic resonance imaging

Nat. Rev. Neurosci.

The human brain is intrinsically organized into dynamic, anticorrelated functional networks

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.

Aberrant “default mode” functional connectivity in schizophrenia

Am. J. Psychiatry

Image-based method for retrospective correction of physiological motion effects in fMRI: RETROICOR

Magn. Reson. Med.

Spiral-in/out BOLD fMRI for increased SNR and reduced susceptibility artifacts

Magn. Reson. Med.

Functional connectivity in the resting brain: a network analysis of the default mode hypothesis

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A.

Abnormalities of intrinsic functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorders^,☆,☆☆