title: Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex magnetic resonance imaging measurements and cognitive performance in autism.
abstract: This study examined the relationships between volumetric measurements of frontal lobe structures and performance on executive function tasks in individuals with autism. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained from 38 individuals with autism and 40 matched controls between the ages of 8 and 45 years. Executive function was assessed using neuropsychological measures including the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Tower of Hanoi. Differences in performance on the neuropsychological tests were found between the 2 groups. However, no differences in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex volumes were observed between groups. No correlations between volumetric measurements and performance on the neuropsychological tests were found. Findings from this study suggest that executive function deficits observed in autism are related to functional but not anatomical abnormalities of the frontal lobe. The absence of correlations suggests that executive dysfunction is not the result of focal brain alterations but, rather, is the result of a distributed neural network dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Griebling
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Minshew
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bodner
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Libove
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bansal
authors.forename: Prasad
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Konasale
authors.forename: Matcheri S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Keshavan
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hardan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009929:Organ Size; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult