Metabolic mapping of deep brain structures and associations with symptomatology in autism spectrum disorders.
Structural neuroimaging studies in autism report atypical volume in deep brain structures which are related to symptomatology. Little is known about metabolic changes in these regions, and how they vary with age and sex, and/or relate to clinical behaviors. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy we measured N-acetylaspartate, choline, creatine, myoinositol and glutamate in the caudate, putamen, and thalamus of 20 children with autism and 16 typically developing controls (7-18 years). Relative to controls, individuals with autism had elevated glutamate/creatine in the putamen. In addition, both groups showed age-related increases in glutamate in this region. Boys, relative to girls had increased choline/creatine in the thalamus. Lastly, there were correlations between glutamate, choline, and myoinositol in all three regions, and behavioral scores in the ASD group. These findings suggest changes in deep gray matter neurochemistry, which are sensitive to diagnosis, age and sex, and are associated with behavioral differences.
Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4G 1R8.
Krissy A R
KA
Doyle-Thomas
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Canada M5G 1X8 ; Neurosciences & Mental Health Program, Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Canada M5G 1X8.
Dallas
D
Card
Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
Latha V
LV
Soorya
Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
A Ting
AT
Wang
Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA ; Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Queens, NY 11367-1597, USA.
Jin
J
Fan
Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4G 1R8.
Evdokia
E
Anagnostou
Autism spectrum disorders; Caudate nucleus; Deep gray matter; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Putamen; Thalamus and social cognition