Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that involves developmental delays. It has been hypothesized that aberrant neural connectivity in ASD may cause atypical brain network development. Brain graphs not only describe the differences in brain networks between clinical and control groups, but also provide information about network development within each group. In the present study, graph indices of brain networks were estimated in children with ASD and in typically developing (TD) children using magnetoencephalography performed while the children viewed a cartoon video. We examined brain graphs from a developmental point of view, and compared the networks between children with ASD and TD children. Network development patterns (NDPs) were assessed by examining the association between the graph indices and the raw scores on the achievement scale or the age of the children. The ASD and TD groups exhibited different NDPs at both network and nodal levels. In the left frontal areas, the nodal degree and efficiency of the ASD group were negatively correlated with the achievement scores. Reduced network connections were observed in the temporal and posterior areas of TD children. These results suggested that the atypical network developmental trajectory in children with ASD is associated with the development score rather than age.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive developmental disorders characterized by impaired social abilities and restricted and repetitive patterns of activity
The normality of the graph index might be an alternative method to aid in the decision of the proper network density for parametric analysis; the average degree for nodal level analysis was chosen from where the Network development patterns (NDPs) were found at a network level
As we have previously reported on typically developing (TD) children [23], the brain network reorganized with a structure closer to regular networks, a negative NDP of small-worldness, in order for processing to occur during the video viewing task
Summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive developmental disorders characterized by impaired social abilities and restricted and repetitive patterns of activity. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) [1], symptoms of ASD must be present before 3 years of age. Parents of children with ASD notice abnormal signs in the first 2 years of life [2]. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) revised the diagnostic criteria for ASD in several aspects [3], including one change suggesting that the onset of symptoms in childhood. Atypical network development patterns in ASD design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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