Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that posterior cerebellar lobe contributes to social perception in healthy adults. However, they know little about how this process varies across age and with development. Using cross-sectional fMRI data, they examined cerebellar response to biological (BIO) versus scrambled (SCRAM) motion within typically developing (TD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) samples (age 4-30 years old), characterizing cerebellar response and BIO > SCRAM-selective effective connectivity, as well as associations with age and social ability. TD individuals recruited regions throughout cerebellar posterior lobe during BIO > SCRAM, especially bilateral lobule VI, and demonstrated connectivity with right posterior superior temporal sulcus (RpSTS) in left VI, Crus I/II, and VIIIb. ASD individuals showed BIO > SCRAM activity in left VI and left Crus I/II, and bilateral connectivity with RpSTS in Crus I/II and VIIIb/IX. No between-group differences emerged in well-matched subsamples. Among TD individuals, older age predicted greater BIO > SCRAM response in left VIIb and left VIIIa/b, but reduced connectivity between RpSTS and widespread regions of the right cerebellum. In ASD, older age predicted greater response in left Crus I and bilateral Crus II, but decreased effective connectivity with RpSTS in bilateral Crus I/II. In ASD, increased BIO > SCRAM signal in left VI/Crus I and right Crus II, VIIb, and dentate predicted lower social symptomaticity; increased effective connectivity with RpSTS in right Crus I/II and bilateral VI and I-V predicted greater symptomaticity. These data suggest that posterior cerebellum contributes to the neurodevelopment of social perception in both basic and clinical populations. Hum Brain Mapp 38:1914-1932, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Highlights
Theory regarding the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, has often focused on functional deficits and histopathology in cerebral cortex [e.g., Geschwind and Levitt, 2007]
We describe the cerebellar response of typically developing (TD) and ASD individuals to passive viewing of coherent (BIO) versus scrambled (SCRAM) point-light displays of human motion, assessed via fMRI crosssectionally
Using datasets acquired during passive viewing of coherent versus scrambled point-light displays of human motion, we examined cerebellar response to these stimuli among both neurotypical participants and among individuals known to exhibit deficits in social perception and behavior
Summary
Theory regarding the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a complex neurodevelopmental disorder, has often focused on functional deficits and histopathology in cerebral cortex [e.g., Geschwind and Levitt, 2007]. While cerebellar pathology is a well-replicated finding in ASD that is receiving increasing attention, speculation about this structure’s role in ASD often revolves around motor, language, or executive functioning deficits [Fatemi et al, 2012], rather than the social symptoms that many consider core to the disorder. This is likely due to the fact that the cerebellum’s contributions to typical social function and development are not well understood. There remain a number of open questions regarding cerebellar contributions to biological motion perception, how this process varies across both typical and atypical development
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
