Reduction in grey matter volume and its correlation with clinical symptoms in Chinese boys with low functioning autism spectrum disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-123
Author(s):  
G. Li ◽  
K. Rossbach ◽  
W. Jiang ◽  
L. Zhao ◽  
K. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Low Functioning

scholarly journals Decreased grey matter volumes in unaffected mothers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder reflect the broader autism endophenotype

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyung-min An ◽  
Takashi Ikeda ◽  
Tetsu Hirosawa ◽  
Ken Yaoi ◽  
Yuko Yoshimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Parahippocampal Gyrus ◽  
Middle Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Grey Matter Volume ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Matter Volume

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an early onset and a strong genetic origin. Unaffected relatives may present similar but subthreshold characteristics of ASD. This broader autism phenotype is especially prevalent in the parents of individuals with ASD, suggesting that it has heritable factors. Although previous studies have demonstrated brain morphometry differences in ASD, they are poorly understood in parents of individuals with ASD. Here, we estimated grey matter volume in 45 mothers of children with ASD (mASD) and 46 age-, sex-, and handedness-matched controls using whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis. The mASD group had smaller grey matter volume in the right middle temporal gyrus, temporoparietal junction, cerebellum, and parahippocampal gyrus compared with the control group. Furthermore, we analysed the correlations of these brain volumes with ASD behavioural characteristics using autism spectrum quotient (AQ) and systemizing quotient (SQ) scores, which measure general autistic traits and the drive to systemize. Smaller volumes in the middle temporal gyrus and temporoparietal junction correlated with higher SQ scores, and smaller volumes in the cerebellum and parahippocampal gyrus correlated with higher AQ scores. Our findings suggest that atypical grey matter volumes in mASD may represent one of the neurostructural endophenotypes of ASD.

scholarly journals Disorder-specific grey matter deficits in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder relative to autism spectrum disorder

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 965-976 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Lim ◽  
K. Chantiluke ◽  
A. I. Cubillo ◽  
A. B. Smith ◽  
A. Simmons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Childhood Disorders ◽  
Male Adolescents ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Background.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are two common childhood disorders that exhibit genetic and behavioural overlap and have abnormalities in similar brain systems, in particular in frontal and cerebellar regions. This study compared the two neurodevelopmental disorders to investigate shared and disorder-specific structural brain abnormalities.Method.Forty-four predominantly medication-naïve male adolescents with ADHD, 19 medication-naïve male adolescents with ASD and 33 age-matched healthy male controls were scanned using high-resolution T1-weighted volumetric imaging in a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to test for group-level differences in structural grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes.Results.There was a significant group difference in the GM of the right posterior cerebellum and left middle/superior temporal gyrus (MTG/STG). Post-hoc analyses revealed that this was due to ADHD boys having a significantly smaller right posterior cerebellar GM volume compared to healthy controls and ASD boys, who did not differ from each other. ASD boys had a larger left MTG/STG GM volume relative to healthy controls and at a more lenient threshold relative to ADHD boys.Conclusions.The study shows for the first time that the GM reduction in the cerebellum in ADHD is disorder specific relative to ASD whereas GM enlargement in the MTG/STG in ASD may be disorder specific relative to ADHD. This study is a first step towards elucidating disorder-specific structural biomarkers for these two related childhood disorders.

scholarly journals Migration and autism spectrum disorder: population-based study

2012 ◽  
Vol 201 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Magnusson ◽  
Dheeraj Rai ◽  
Anna Goodman ◽  
Michael Lundberg ◽  
Selma Idring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
High Functioning Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Timing Of Migration ◽  
Low Functioning ◽  
Migrant Parents

BackgroundMigration has been implicated as a risk factor for autism, but evidence is limited and inconsistent.AimsTo investigate the relationship between parental migration status and risk of autism spectrum disorder, taking into consideration the importance of region of origin, timing of migration and possible discrepancies in associations between autism subtypes.MethodRecord-linkage study within the total child population of Stockholm County between 2001 and 2007. Individuals with high- and low-functioning autism were defined as having autism spectrum disorder with and without comorbid intellectual disability, and ascertained via health and habilitation service registers.ResultsIn total, 4952 individuals with autism spectrum disorder were identified, comprising 2855 children with high-functioning autism and 2097 children with low-functioning autism. Children of migrant parents were at increased risk of low-functioning autism (odds ratio (OR) = 1.5, 95% CI 1.3–1.7); this risk was highest when parents migrated from regions with a low human development index, and peaked when migration occurred around pregnancy (OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.7–3.0). A decreased risk of high-functioning autism was observed in children of migrant parents, regardless of area of origin or timing of migration. Parental age, income or obstetric complications did not fully explain any of these associations.ConclusionsEnvironmental factors associated with migration may contribute to the development of autism presenting with comorbid intellectual disability, especially when actingin utero.High- and low-functioning autism may have partly different aetiologies, and should be studied separately.

Voxel-based meta-analysis of regional white-matter volume differences in autism spectrum disorder versus healthy controls

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 1539-1550 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Radua ◽  
E. Via ◽  
M. Catani ◽  
D. Mataix-Cols
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
White Matter Volume ◽  
Matter Volume

BackgroundWe conducted a meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to clarify the changes in regional white-matter volume underpinning this condition, and generated an online database to facilitate replication and further analyses by other researchers.MethodPubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases were searched between 2002 (the date of the first white-matter VBM study in ASD) and 2010. Manual searches were also conducted. Authors were contacted to obtain additional data. Coordinates were extracted from clusters of significant white-matter difference between patients and controls. A new template for white matter was created for the signed differential mapping (SDM) meta-analytic method. A diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-derived atlas was used to optimally localize the changes in white-matter volume.ResultsThirteen datasets comprising 246 patients with ASD and 237 healthy controls met inclusion criteria. No between-group differences were found in global white-matter volumes. ASD patients showed increases of white-matter volume in the right arcuate fasciculus and also in the left inferior fronto-occipital and uncinate fasciculi. These findings remained unchanged in quartile and jackknife sensitivity analyses and also in subgroup analyses (pediatric versus adult samples).ConclusionsPatients with ASD display increases of white-matter volume in tracts known to be important for language and social cognition. Whether the results apply to individuals with lower IQ or younger age and whether there are meaningful neurobiological differences between the subtypes of ASD remain to be investigated.

Correlations Between the Parents’ ADHD Score and the Child's ADOS Score in Parents of Children with Comorbid ADHD–Autism Spectrum Disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S221-S221
Author(s):  
F. Rad ◽  
L. Kobylinska ◽  
I. Mihailescu ◽  
A. Buica ◽  
I. Dobrescu
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Adult Adhd ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum Quotient ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

From assortative mating theory to genetic background, several ethipathogenic hypotheses in ASD deal with the traits of parents.Backgroundseveral ethipathogenic hypotheses in ASD deal with the traits of parents. The objectives of our study were to measure the ADHD and autism spectrum disorder quotients in parents of children diagnosed with ASD comorbid with ADHD and to correlate the measurements for the tests in parents with those in their children. The specific aim was to identify whether any significant correlations exist.MethodFifty-two pairs of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders and ADHD were included in this study, based on informed consent and the ethical committee's approval. The child's diagnosis was established by a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry, based on the child's clinical symptoms and on specific diagnostic scales, such as the ADOS and ADHD-rating scale. The parents completed an Autism Spectrum Quotient Scale (ASQS) and an adult ADHD scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0 and Excel. The correlations were verified using Spearman's non-parametric correlation test.ResultsThere was a strong correlation between the parents’ ADHD scores (r = 0.5, P < 0.001), and a reverse medium correlation between the mother's ADHD score and the child's ADOS score (r = –0.32, P = 0.02). The father's ASQS and ADHD scores correlated between each other (r = 0.31, P = 0.02). There were no correlations between the parents’ and the child's ADHD score, nor between the child's ADOS score and the parents’ ASQS scores.ConclusionOur results suggest that ADHD symptoms in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders comorbid with ADHD might be predictors for the child's prognosis.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Reproducible functional connectivity alterations are associated with autism spectrum disorder

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Štefan Holiga ◽  
Joerg F. Hipp ◽  
Christopher H. Chatham ◽  
Pilar Garces ◽  
Will Spooren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Replication Procedure ◽  
Medication Status

AbstractDespite the high clinical burden little is known about pathophysiology underlying autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies have found atypical synchronization of brain activity in ASD. However, no consensus has been reached on the nature and clinical relevance of these alterations. Here we address these questions in the most comprehensive, large-scale effort to date comprising evaluation of four large ASD cohorts. We followed a strict exploration and replication procedure to identify core rs-fMRI functional connectivity (degree centrality) alterations associated with ASD as compared to typically developing (TD) controls (ASD: N=841, TD: N=984). We then tested for associations of these imaging phenotypes with clinical and demographic factors such as age, sex, medication status and clinical symptom severity. We find reproducible patterns of ASD-associated functional hyper- and hypo-connectivity with hypo-connectivity being primarily restricted to sensory-motor regions and hyper-connectivity hubs being predominately located in prefrontal and parietal cortices. We establish shifts in between-network connectivity from outside to within the identified regions as a key driver of these abnormalities. The magnitude of these alterations is linked to core ASD symptoms related to communication and social interaction and is not affected by age, sex or medication status. The identified brain functional alterations provide a reproducible pathophysiological phenotype underlying the diagnosis of ASD reconciling previous divergent findings. The large effect sizes in standardized cohorts and the link to clinical symptoms emphasize the importance of the identified imaging alterations as potential treatment and stratification biomarkers for ASD.

scholarly journals Erythrocyte Deformability in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Correlation With Clinical Features

2019 ◽  
pp. S307-S313
Author(s):  
T. JASENOVEC ◽  
D. RADOSINSKA ◽  
H. CELUSAKOVA ◽  
D. FILCIKOVA ◽  
K. BABINSKA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Intrinsic Property ◽  
Tissue Perfusion ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Biomechanical Properties ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Erythrocyte Deformability ◽  
Spectrum Disorder

Biomechanical properties of erythrocytes play an important role in health and disease. Deformability represents intrinsic property of erythrocytes to undergo deformation that is crucial for their passage through the narrow capillaries. The erythrocyte damage can lead to compromised tissue perfusion and consequently play a role in the pathogenesis of various diseases including neurological ones. Data available in databases indicate that erythrocytes in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are altered. This may affect the clinical symptoms of ASD. The aim of our study was to determine erythrocyte deformability in 54 children with ASD and correlate it with clinical symptoms. We found significant negative correlation between erythrocyte deformability and score in C domain of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) diagnostic tool describing the measure of restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors and interests, mainly observable in C1 and C2, but not in C3 and C4 subdomains. This supports the findings of other authors and suggest that behavioral domain C comprises of more subcategories with different underlying etiology. Our results also indicate that abnormalities in erythrocyte deformability may be involved in ASD pathomecha-nisms and contribute to its clinical manifestation. Further research is necessary to bring more data and identify erythrocyte deformability as prognostic biomarker in ASD.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document