title: Altered Cortical Thickness and Tract Integrity of the Mirror Neuron System and Associated Social Communication in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: Previous studies using neural activity recording and neuroimaging techniques have reported functional deficits in the mirror neuron system (MNS) for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, a few studies focusing on gray and white matter structures of the MNS have yielded inconsistent results. The current study recruited adolescents and young adults with ASD (aged 15-26 years) and age-matched typically developing (TD) controls (aged 14-25 years). The cortical thickness (CT) and microstructural integrity of the tracts connecting the regions forming the classical MNS were investigated. High-resolution T1-weighted imaging and diffusion spectrum imaging were performed to quantify the CT and tract integrity, respectively. The structural covariance of the CT of the MNS regions revealed a weaker coordination of the MNS network in ASD. A strong correlation was found between the integrity of the right frontoparietal tracts and the social communication subscores measured by the Chinese version of the Social Communication Questionnaire. The results showed that there were no significant mean differences in the CTs and tract integrity between the ASD and TD groups, but revealed a moderate or even reverse age effect on the frontal MNS structures in ASD. In conclusion, aberrant structural coordination may be an underlying factor affecting the function of the MNS in ASD patients. The association between the right frontoparietal tracts and social communication performance implies a neural correlate of communication processing in the autistic brain. This study provides evidence of abnormal MNS structures and their influence on social communication in individuals with ASD.
authors.affiliation: Center for Optoelectronic Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiang-Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Susan Shur-Fen
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Gau
authors.affiliation: Center for Optoelectronic Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yung-Chin
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Center for Optoelectronic Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Jen
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Center for Optoelectronic Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.affiliation: Center for Optoelectronic Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yao-Chia
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.affiliation: Center for Optoelectronic Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Molecular Imaging Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.|Department of Medical Imaging, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Yih Isaac
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Tseng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059167:Mirror Neurons / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012919:Social Behavior; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: autism spectrum disorder; cortical thickness; diffusion spectrum imaging; mirror neuron system; social communication; tractography; white matter integrity