Abstract
Individuals with autistic traits are those who present in the normal population with characteristics of social, communication, personality, and cognitive impairments but do not meet the clinical threshold for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most studies have focused on the abnormalities in ASD patients rather than on individuals with autistic traits. In this study, we focused on the behaviors of a large sample (N = 401) of Chinese individuals with different levels of autistic traits, measured using the Autism Spectrum Quotient, and applied voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to determine their association to differences in brain structure. The results mainly showed that the correlation between gray matter volume (GMV) and gray matter density of the brain and the Autism Spectrum Quotient was significant in these regions: the right middle frontal gyrus, which are involved in social processing and social reasoning; the left parahippocampal gyrus, which is involved in socioemotional behaviors and unconscious relational memory encoding; and the right superior parietal lobule, which are involved in cognitive control and the ability to show attention to detail. These findings reveal that people with autistic traits in the normal population have atypical development in GMV and gray matter density, which may affect their social functioning and communication ability.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) consists of neurodevelopmental symptoms characterized by core deficits in social functioning and extending to other cognitive differences (Assaf et al, 2010)
The present study examines differences in gray matter linked to autistic traits using a Chinese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) as well as provides important evidence about the neural basis of autistic traits that will potentially contribute to a wider discussion about how autism should be diagnosed and characterized (Pang et al, 2018)
The gender, and the global density of gray matter as covariates into the regression model, a multiple regression analysis revealed that the AQ score had a significant positive association with the gray matter density (GMD) in the left superior frontal gyrus (SFG), right precentral gyrus, and negative in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) (MNI coordinates: 25.5, -6, 63, T = 3.60; -45, -1.5, 52.5, T = 3.33; 13.5, -73.5, 58.5; T = -3.18)
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) consists of neurodevelopmental symptoms characterized by core deficits in social functioning and extending to other cognitive differences (Assaf et al, 2010). The idea of a spectrum captures both the heterogeneity within ASD itself (e.g., from low- to high-functioning intelligence) and the principle of continuity of the symptom profile within the general population itself, in which individuals may exhibit autistic traits to a greater or lesser extent. Atypical Brain Structures in Young Adults (Baron-Cohen et al, 2001) This is a self-report measure that asks about the presence of a range of traits and behaviors commonly seen in autism, including poor social understanding, problems in attention switching, greater attention to detail, poor imagination, and poor communication skills. The study of brain-based individual differences in autistic traits within the general population has received comparatively less attention. This is an important complementary approach that may have certain advantages. The present study examines differences in gray matter linked to autistic traits using a Chinese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) as well as provides important evidence about the neural basis of autistic traits that will potentially contribute to a wider discussion about how autism should be diagnosed and characterized (Pang et al, 2018)
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