Atypical longitudinal development of functional connectivity in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Katherine E Lawrence, Leanna M Hernandez, Susan Y Bookheimer and 1 others
PMID 30375176WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with autism did not show the typical age-related increase in opposition between two brain networks; typical peers did.
No communication, behavior, or therapy outcomes were measured.
Key findings
01No significant differences between ASD and typically developing groups were found in DMN, SN, or CEN connectivity at early/mid adolescence.
02At late adolescence, typically developing participants showed significant negative CEN connectivity with a medial prefrontal default-mode region, while participants with ASD did not.
03Typically developing participants showed significant age-related changes in all three networks, while participants with ASD showed none; a group-by-time interaction was significant for CEN connectivity with a medial prefrontal default-mode region.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample was small and preliminary, so it cannot establish a general ASD brain trajectory. Participants had to tolerate MRI without metal implants and full-scale IQ below 70 was excluded. This limits generalizability to more impaired or medically complex adolescents. The study measured brain connectivity only. It did not measure speech-language, social communication, executive function, adaptive behavior, or treatment response. A strict threshold may have missed within-network differences. Only two time points, about 3 years apart, were collected, so detailed developmental trajectories cannot be mapped.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. No author conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this brain difference explains executive function deficits or should guide therapy. The study did not measure executive function, communication, adaptive behavior, or treatment response.