Cortico-basal ganglia white matter microstructure is linked to restricted repetitive behavior in autism spectrum disorder.
Bradley J Wilkes, Derek B Archer, Anna L Farmer and 4 others
PMID 38254158WHAT IT FOUND
In autism, white matter microstructure in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to caudate tract was altered.
Lower corrected fractional anisotropy and higher free water in this pathway were associated with higher scores for restricted and repetitive behaviors, particularly restricted interests.
Key findings
01Individuals with ASD had lower free-water corrected fractional anisotropy (FA T) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to caudate tract compared to typically developing participants.
02Individuals with ASD had higher free water (FW) in the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to caudate tracts, as well as the left substantia nigra to putamen and left globus pallidus externa to subthalamic nucleus tracts.
03FA T in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to caudate tract was negatively correlated with total repetitive behavior scores and subscales for stereotyped, ritualistic, sameness, and restricted interests behaviors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study used a retrospective, deidentified dataset, so the researchers did not control data collection methods or participant recruitment. Information regarding the specific testing site for each participant was unavailable, preventing adjustment for site-related variability. The diffusion MRI data was acquired with a single diffusion-weighted shell, which may make it difficult to disentangle changes in free water from tissue mean-diffusivity changes compared to multi-shell data. The findings cannot determine the specific microstructural underpinnings (e.g., myelination vs. inflammation) of the observed differences. The ASD group had a lower mean IQ than the TD group, and it is unknown if these findings extend to individuals with ASD who have lower IQ scores. The study only examined specific basal ganglia and cerebellar pathways; differences in other brain regions were not investigated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these brain imaging differences as a diagnostic tool or a target for direct intervention. The study shows a statistical association between white matter microstructure and behavioral scores in a group average, but these measures are not specific to individual patients and do not imply that altering this brain pathway will change behavior.