Age-related differences in white matter diffusion measures in autism spectrum condition.
Abigail Thompson, Asal Shahidiani, Anne Fritz and 9 others
PMID 32423424WHAT IT FOUND
In boys aged 7 to 17, the autism group did not show overall white matter differences from controls.
The autism group showed stronger age-related differences in white matter measures in several tracts. This is a brain imaging finding, not a therapy target.
Key findings
01The main whole-brain comparison found no significant differences between the autism and control groups in FA, RD or MD.
02Age by group interactions were significant for FA and RD in the UF, corticospinal tract, ILF, IFOF, anterior thalamic radiation, SLF and forceps major.
03In both groups FA increased with age and RD decreased with age, but the relationships were stronger in the autism group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample was limited to right-handed males, so it does not address females. Participants had IQ above the study threshold, so findings may not apply to autistic people with lower intellectual ability. The design was cross-sectional, so age-related differences were not observed in the same people over time. The outcomes were brain imaging measures and symptom scores, not function or therapy response. Diffusion measures do not identify the biological tissue changes causing them. No significant overall group differences in FA, RD or MD were found; the reported effects were age by group interactions.
Declared interests
The paper states the funder was the Medical Research Council. It does not report author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that autism has a fixed white matter difference or that brain imaging can guide therapy. The main group comparison was null, the sample was right-handed males with IQ above 70, and the findings were age-related associations, not treatment effects.