Connectivity between visual brain regions and whole brain among children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore the functional connectivity between the visual brain regions and whole brain in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at resting state, and to further analyze the correlation with their clinical manifestations.@*Methods@#The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of 34 boys with ASD enrolled from ASD designated rehabilitation institutions and 29 healthy boys enrolled from several kindergartens in Heilongjiang were collected. Based on the resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fc MRI) analysis, the BA17 of the primary visual brain region and the BA18/19 of the higher visual brain region were taken as the regions of interest (ROI) to calculate the functional connectivity level between the visual brain regions and whole brain, and the differences between the two groups were compared. Multiple developmental scales were used to evaluate the behavior of ASD children, and Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between functional connection strength and autistic behavior.@*Results@#The ASD group had decreased positive connectivity between BA17 and the right fusiform gyrus (FFG), and was negatively correlated with social interaction of ADI-R and the total scores of CARS (r=-0.41, -0.48, P<0.05); ASD group had decreased positive connectivity between BA17 and the left FFG, there was a negative correlation with social motivation of SRS (r=-0.43, P<0.05); ASD group had decreased positive connectivity between BA17 and the left posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG). Children with ASD had decreased positive connectivity between BA18/19 and left calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex (CAL), which was positively correlated with attention conversion of AQ, total scores of CARS (r=0.43, 0.40, P<0.05), and the children with ASD had deceased positive connectivity between BA18/19 and right precuneus (PCUN).@*Conclusion@#In resting state, the functional connectivity of primary and higher visual brain regions and whole brain of ASD children is different from that in healthy children, and there is a significant correlation between abnormal level and autistic behaviors.