Abstract
BackgroundAutism spectrum traits are postulated to lie on a continuum that extends between individuals with autism and individuals with typical development (TD). Social cognition properties that are deeply associated with autism spectrum traits have been linked to functional connectivity between regions within the brain’s default mode network (DMN). Previous studies have shown that the resting-state functional connectivities (rs-FCs) of DMN are low and show negative correlation with the level of autism spectrum traits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is unclear whether individual differences of autism spectrum traits are associated with the strength of rs-FCs of DMN in participants including the general population.MethodsUsing the seed-based approach, we investigated the rs-FCs of DMN, particularly including the following two core regions of DMN: the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in 19 young male adults with high-functioning ASD (mean age = 25.3 ± 6.9 years; autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) = 33.4 ± 4.2; full scale IQ (F-IQ) = 109.7 ± 12.4) compared with 21 age- and IQ-matched young male adults from the TD group (mean age = 24.8 ± 4.3 years; AQ = 18.6 ± 5.7; F-IQ = 109.5 ± 8.7). We also analyzed the correlation between the strength of rs-FCs and autism spectrum traits measured using AQ score.ResultsThe strengths of rs-FCs from core regions of DMN were significantly lower in ASD participants than TD participants. Under multiple regression analysis, the strengths of rs-FCs in brain areas from aMPFC seed showed negative correlation with AQ scores in ASD participants and TD participants.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the strength of rs-FCs in DMN is associated with autism spectrum traits in the TD population as well as patients with ASD, supporting the continuum view. The rs-FCs of DMN may be useful biomarkers for the objective identification of autism spectrum traits, regardless of ASD diagnosis.
Highlights
Autism spectrum traits are postulated to lie on a continuum that extends between individuals with autism and individuals with typical development (TD)
In the region of interest (ROI) within the default mode network (DMN), significant differences in the strength of resting-state functional connectivities (rs-FCs) from the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC) seed were observed in the paracentral lobuli and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) between the two groups (Table 2, Figure 2)
We found that young male adults with high-functioning Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display lower rs-FCs between two seeds of DMN and other brain regions In addition, we found that autism spectrum traits measured using the autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) score are associated with the strength of rs-FCs of DMN that contain brain regions relevant to social cognition processing, in each TD participants and ASD participants, respectively
Summary
Autism spectrum traits are postulated to lie on a continuum that extends between individuals with autism and individuals with typical development (TD). Previous studies have shown that the resting-state functional connectivities (rs-FCs) of DMN are low and show negative correlation with the level of autism spectrum traits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) It is unclear whether individual differences of autism spectrum traits are associated with the strength of rs-FCs of DMN in participants including the general population. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social communication and social interaction, and unusually restricted, repetitive behaviors and interests [1,2] These characteristics are postulated to lie on a continuum that extends between individuals with autism and individuals with typical development (TD) [3,4]. AQ is a validated measure of autism spectrum characteristics found within both the typical population and individuals with a diagnosis of autism [10,11]
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