title: Cerebro-cerebellar Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The cerebellum plays important roles in sensori-motor and supramodal cognitive functions. Cellular, volumetric, and functional abnormalities of the cerebellum have been found in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but no comprehensive investigation of cerebro-cerebellar connectivity in ASD is available.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging in 56 children and adolescents (28 subjects with ASD, 28 typically developing subjects) 8-17 years old. Partial and total correlation analyses were performed for unilateral regions of interest (ROIs), distinguished in two broad domains as sensori-motor (premotor/primary motor, somatosensory, superior temporal, and occipital) and supramodal (prefrontal, posterior parietal, and inferior and middle temporal).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were three main findings: 1) Total correlation analyses showed predominant cerebro-cerebellar functional overconnectivity in the ASD group; 2) partial correlation analyses that emphasized domain specificity (sensori-motor vs. supramodal) indicated a pattern of robustly increased connectivity in the ASD group (compared with the typically developing group) for sensori-motor ROIs but predominantly reduced connectivity for supramodal ROIs; and 3) this atypical pattern of connectivity was supported by significantly increased noncanonical connections (between sensori-motor cerebral and supramodal cerebellar ROIs and vice versa) in the ASD group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that sensori-motor intrinsic functional connectivity is atypically increased in ASD, at the expense of connectivity supporting cerebellar participation in supramodal cognition.
authors.affiliation: Brain Development Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Brain Development Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.; Joint Doctoral Program in Language and Communicative Disorders, San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Aarti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: Brain Development Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.; Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Keown
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Datko
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, Alliant International University, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lincoln
authors.affiliation: Brain Development Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.. Electronic address: rmueller@sdsu.edu.
authors.forename: Ralph-Axel
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012146:Rest; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Cerebellum; Cerebrum; Functional connectivity; MRI; Sensori-motor; Supramodal