Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) exhibit atypical sensory characteristics, impaired social skills, deficits in verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. The relationship between sensory characteristics and brain morphological changes in ASD remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between brain morphological changes and sensory characteristics in individuals with ASD using brain image analysis and a sensory profile test. Forty-three adults with ASD and 84 adults with typical development underwent brain image analysis using FreeSurfer. The brain cortex was divided into 64 regions, and the cortical thickness and volume of the limbic system were calculated. The sensory characteristics of the participants were evaluated using the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). Correlation analysis was performed for cortical thickness, limbic area volume, and AASP scores. In the ASD group, there was a significant positive correlation between visual sensory sensitivity scores and the right lingual cortical thickness (r = 0.500). There were also significant negative correlations between visual sensation avoiding scores and the right lateral orbitofrontal cortical thickness (r = −0.513), taste/smell sensation avoiding scores and the right hippocampal volume (r = −0.510), and taste/smell sensation avoiding scores and the left hippocampal volume (r = −0.540). The study identified associations among the lingual cortical thickness, lateral orbitofrontal cortical thickness, and hippocampal volume and sensory characteristics. These findings suggest that brain morphological changes may trigger sensory symptoms in adults with ASD.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in socialization, communication, and range of interests [1]
Since the orbitofrontal cortex downregulates amygdala activity and regulates responses to sensory stimuli, it is hypothesized that impairments in these functions in individuals with ASD result in hyperactivity to sensory stimuli
Rooij et al showed that ASD individuals with higher intelligence quotient (IQ) had a thinner medial orbitofrontal cortex than typically developing (TD) individuals [41]
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in socialization, communication, and range of interests [1]. Cortices, including the orbitofrontal cortex, may provide an anatomical basis for the specific features of social interactions and emotions in ASD. Green et al using functional brain imaging detected abnormal functional connectivity between the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex as the neurological basis for sensory symptoms in ASD [20]. Since the orbitofrontal cortex downregulates amygdala activity and regulates responses to sensory stimuli, it is hypothesized that impairments in these functions in individuals with ASD result in hyperactivity to sensory stimuli.
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