Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been reported to have altered brain connectivity patterns in sensory networks, assessed using resting-state functional magnetic imaging (rs-fMRI). However, the results have been inconsistent. Herein, we aimed to systematically explore the interaction between brain sensory networks in 3–7-year-old boys with ASD (N = 29) using independent component analysis (ICA). Participants were matched for age, head motion, and handedness in the MRI scanner. We estimated the between-group differences in spatial patterns of the sensory resting-state networks (RSNs). Subsequently, the time series of each RSN were extracted from each participant’s preprocessed data and associated estimates of interaction strength between intra- and internetwork functional connectivity (FC) and symptom severity in children with ASD. The auditory network (AN), higher visual network (HVN), primary visual network (PVN), and sensorimotor network (SMN) were identified. Relative to TDs, individuals with ASD showed increased FC in the AN and SMN, respectively. Higher positive connectivity between the PVN and HVN in the ASD group was shown. The strength of such connections was associated with symptom severity. The current study might suggest that the abnormal connectivity patterns of the sensory network regions may underlie impaired higher-order multisensory integration in ASD children, and be associated with social impairments.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disability, is associated with deficits in social communication and social interactions as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and/or activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
A typically spatial pattern in each restingstate networks (RSNs) was obtained by using one-sample t-tests, which was consistent with previous studies (Liao et al, 2010; Ding et al, 2011; Zhang et al, 2015) (p < 0.001, false discovery rate (FDR) corrected) (Figure 1)
Using two-sample two-tailed t-tests, we found the differences in intra-network connectivity between ASD group and TD group
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disability, is associated with deficits in social communication and social interactions as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and/or activities (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Recent estimates are that ASD affects 1/59 children aged 8 years old (Baio et al, 2018), which is higher than the prevalence of 1/68. Sensory processing differences have long been associated with ASD, and they have recently been added to the diagnostic criteria for the updated diagnostic criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Linear independent component analysis (ICA), a blind source signal separation method, is used to analyze fMRI data. It can extract a series of temporally independent brain activity signals or spatially independent brain networks. The recent research suggested that the RSNs with increased FC include the auditory network (AN) and sensory-motor network (SMN), and mixed FC in visual network (VN) (Bi et al, 2018)
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