Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) in Relation to Longitudinal Cortical Thickness Changes in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Molly B D Prigge, Erin D Bigler, Brittany G Travers and 7 others
PMID 29728946WHAT IT FOUND
In autism, higher parent-reported social communication scores were associated with differences in brain thickness in frontal and temporal regions.
In 65 people followed over time, average scores decreased from 103 to 98, and those whose scores decreased had thicker frontal and thinner occipital cortex.
Key findings
01Higher total SRS raw scores in ASD, indicating more impaired functioning, were associated with thicker right frontal pole and thinner right posterior cingulate and left inferior temporal gyrus.
02In 65 ASD participants with repeat SRS scores, mean total raw scores decreased from 103 to 98 over time.
03Compared with ASD participants whose total raw SRS scores increased over time, those whose scores decreased had thicker right pars opercularis and thinner left pericalcarine.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only high-functioning, verbal males, so results may not apply to females or minimally verbal autistic people. It examined only cortical thickness, not surface area, gyrification, or other brain measures. It showed associations, not causes, and could not determine the biological mechanisms behind the cortical thickness differences. The SRS was completed by a parent or close family member, and the original instrument was designed for children and adolescents up to age 18 but was used for adults too; only raw scores were analysed. 47% of ASD participants took psychotropic medications at some point, and some changed medications, but the study did not know medication effects on cortical thickness. The study did not quantitatively assess therapies or treatment changes, so it cannot link therapy to SRS change or brain change. Only 65 ASD participants had repeat SRS scores for the change analysis, and many secondary findings did not survive correction for multiple comparisons.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these cortical thickness associations as evidence that a therapy changed social behavior or that brain measures can guide treatment. The study did not assign or test any intervention, included only high-functioning verbal males, and many findings did not survive correction for multiple comparisons.