title: Reduced long-range functional connectivity in young children with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often described as a disorder of aberrant neural connectivity. Although it is important to study the pathophysiology of ASD in the developing cortex, the functional connectivity in the brains of young children with ASD has not been well studied. In this study, brain activity was measured non-invasively during consciousness in 50 young human children with ASD and 50 age- and gender-matched typically developing human (TD) children. We employed a custom child-sized magnetoencephalography (MEG) system in which sensors were located as close to the brain as possible for optimal recording in young children. We focused on theta band oscillations because they are thought to be involved in long-range networks associated with higher cognitive processes. The ASD group showed significantly reduced connectivity between the left-anterior and the right-posterior areas, exhibiting a decrease in the coherence of theta band (6 Hz) oscillations compared with the TD group. This reduction in coherence was significantly correlated with clinical severity in right-handed children with ASD. This is the first study to demonstrate reduced long-range functional connectivity in conscious young children with ASD using a novel MEG approach.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan mitsuru@zc4.so-net.ne.jp.
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hiraishi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Munesue
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Takanori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsunehisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsubokawa
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruhiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Higashida
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, Department of Anesthesiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa 920-8641, Japan, and Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-0152, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Minabe
mesh_terms: D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D013826:Theta Rhythm
keywords: autism spectrum disorder (ASD); coherence; long-range connectivity; magnetoencephalography (MEG); theta oscillation; young children