Frontal networks in adults with autism spectrum disorder
Brain. 2016-01-29; 139(2): 616-630
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awv351
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1. Brain. 2016 Feb;139(Pt 2):616-30. doi: 10.1093/brain/awv351.
Frontal networks in adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Catani M(1), Dell’Acqua F(2), Budisavljevic S(3), Howells H(3), Thiebaut de
Schotten M(3), Froudist-Walsh S(3), D’Anna L(3), Thompson A(3), Sandrone S(3),
Bullmore ET(4), Suckling J(5), Baron-Cohen S(6), Lombardo MV(7), Wheelwright
SJ(8), Chakrabarti B(9), Lai MC(10), Ruigrok AN(8), Leemans A(11), Ecker C(3),
Consortium MA, Craig MC(12), Murphy DG(13).
Author information:
(1)1 Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, and Department of
Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s
College, London, UK 2 NatBrainLab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of
Psychiatry, King’s College, London, UK.
(2)2 NatBrainLab, Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry,
King’s College, London, UK.
(3)1 Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, and Department of
Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s
College, London, UK.
(4)3 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust 4 Brain Mapping Unit,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK.
(5)3 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust 4 Brain Mapping Unit,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK 5 Autism Research Centre,
Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK.
(6)3 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust 5 Autism Research
Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK.
(7)5 Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge,
UK 6 Department of Psychology and Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of
Cyprus, Cyprus.
(8)5 Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge,
UK.
(9)5 Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge,
UK 7 Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology
and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
(10)5 Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge,
UK 8 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Department of Psychiatry,
University of Toronto, Canada 9 Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan
University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taiwan.
(11)10 Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The
Netherlands.
(12)1 Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, and Department of
Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s
College, London, UK 11 National Autism Unit, South London and Maudsley NHS
Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, UK.
(13)1 Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, and Department of
Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s
College, London, UK .
It has been postulated that autism spectrum disorder is underpinned by an
‘atypical connectivity’ involving higher-order association brain regions. To test
this hypothesis in a large cohort of adults with autism spectrum disorder we
compared the white matter networks of 61 adult males with autism spectrum
disorder and 61 neurotypical controls, using two complementary approaches to
diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging. First, we applied tract-based
spatial statistics, a ‘whole brain’ non-hypothesis driven method, to identify
differences in white matter networks in adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Following this we used a tract-specific analysis, based on tractography, to carry
out a more detailed analysis of individual tracts identified by tract-based
spatial statistics. Finally, within the autism spectrum disorder group, we
studied the relationship between diffusion measures and autistic symptom
severity. Tract-based spatial statistics revealed that autism spectrum disorder
was associated with significantly reduced fractional anisotropy in regions that
included frontal lobe pathways. Tractography analysis of these specific pathways
showed increased mean and perpendicular diffusivity, and reduced number of
streamlines in the anterior and long segments of the arcuate fasciculus, cingulum
and uncinate–predominantly in the left hemisphere. Abnormalities were also
evident in the anterior portions of the corpus callosum connecting left and right
frontal lobes. The degree of microstructural alteration of the arcuate and
uncinate fasciculi was associated with severity of symptoms in language and
social reciprocity in childhood. Our results indicated that autism spectrum
disorder is a developmental condition associated with abnormal connectivity of
the frontal lobes. Furthermore our findings showed that male adults with autism
spectrum disorder have regional differences in brain anatomy, which correlate
with specific aspects of autistic symptoms. Overall these results suggest that
autism spectrum disorder is a condition linked to aberrant developmental
trajectories of the frontal networks that persist in adult life.
© The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the
Guarantors of Brain.
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awv351
PMCID: PMC4805089
PMID: 26912520 [Indexed for MEDLINE]