Reduced Gyrification Is Related to Reduced Interhemispheric Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Dienke J. Bos*, Jessica Merchán-Naranjo, Kenia Martínez, Laura Pina-Camacho, Ivan Balsa, Leticia Boada, Hugo Schnack, Bob Oranje, Manuel Desco, Celso Arango, Mara Parellada, Sarah Durston, Joost Janssen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Objective Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been associated with atypical cortical gray and subcortical white matter development. Neurodevelopmental theories postulate that a relation between cortical maturation and structural brain connectivity may exist. We therefore investigated the development of gyrification and white matter connectivity and their relationship in individuals with ASD and their typically developing peers. Method T1- and diffusion-weighted images were acquired from a representative sample of 30 children and adolescents with ASD (aged 8-18 years), and 29 typically developing children matched for age, sex, hand preference, and socioeconomic status. The FreeSurfer suite was used to calculate cortical volume, surface area, and gyrification index. Measures of structural connectivity were estimated using probabilistic tractography and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). Results Left prefrontal and parietal cortex showed a relative, age-dependent decrease in gyrification index in children and adolescents with ASD compared to typically developing controls. This result was replicated in an age-and IQ-matched sample provided by the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) initiative. Furthermore, tractography and TBSS showed a complementary pattern in which left prefrontal gyrification was negatively related to radial diffusivity in the forceps minor in participants with ASD. Conclusion The present study builds on earlier findings of abnormal gyrification and structural connectivity in the prefrontal cortex in ASD. It provides a more comprehensive neurodevelopmental characterization of ASD, involving interdependent changes in microstructural white and cortical gray matter. The findings of related abnormal patterns of gyrification and white matter connectivity support the notion of the intertwined development of 2 major morphometric domains in ASD.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1225
Pages (from-to)668-676
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume54
Issue number8
Early online date5 Jun 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2015

Keywords

  • autism spectrum disorders
  • development
  • forceps minor
  • gyrification index
  • structural connectivity

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