Connectivity-Based Parcellation of the Amygdala Predicts Social Skills in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Annika Rausch, Wei Zhang, Christian F Beckmann and 3 others
PMID 29119520WHAT IT FOUND
In adolescents with autism, a specific brain connection volume predicted social skill impairment.
This is a biological marker from scans, not a treatment outcome, and does not change current therapy practices.
Key findings
01The volume of the 'social perception' amygdala parcel was significantly larger in adolescents with ASD compared to controls.
02This enlarged parcel volume correlated with poorer social skills in the ASD group, suggesting it may serve as a biological marker for symptom severity.
03The enlargement appears driven by reduced connectivity in a neighbouring 'social affiliation' network rather than increased activity in the perception network itself.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample size was small and highly selected, excluding individuals with common co-occurring conditions like ADHD, anxiety, or depression. The study used the Autism Spectrum Quotient for social skills, which may not capture the full complexity of social interaction compared to observational measures. The findings are cross-sectional and cannot determine whether these brain differences cause the social difficulties or result from them. The analysis excluded one outlier for the volume comparison and four for the connectivity strength comparison, reducing the effective sample size further.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme, Hersenstichting Fellowship, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, and Wellcome Trust UK Strategic Award.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this as a diagnostic test or a target for treatment. The study identifies a brain structure difference in a small, carefully selected group of adolescents, but it does not show that changing this brain activity improves social skills in clinical practice.