title: White matter volume in the brainstem and inferior parietal lobule is related to motor performance in children with autism spectrum disorder: A voxel-based morphometry study.
abstract: Many studies have reported poor motor performance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the underlying brain mechanisms remain unclear. Recent neuroimaging studies have suggested that abnormalities of the white matter (WM) are related to the features of ASD. In this study, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate which WM regions correlate with motor performance in children with ASD, and whether the WM volume in those brain regions differed between children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children. The subjects included 19 children with ASD and 20 TD controls. Motor performance was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2 (M-ABC 2). Children with ASD showed poorer motor performance than did the controls. There was a significant positive correlation between the total test score on the M-ABC 2 and the volume of WM in the brainstem and WM adjacent to the left supramarginal gyrus (SMG). In addition, compared with the TD controls, children with ASD had a decreased volume of WM in the brainstem and adjacent to the left intraparietal sulcus, which is close to the SMG. These findings suggest that structural changes in the WM in the brainstem and left inferior parietal lobule may contribute to poor motor performance in children with ASD. Autism Res 2016, 9: 981-992. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hanaie
authors.affiliation: Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.|Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.|Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mohri
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.|Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kuriko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kagitani-Shimono
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.|Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.affiliation: Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.|Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.affiliation: Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Fumiyo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nagatani
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Norihiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.affiliation: Molecular Research Center for Children's Mental Development, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. masako@kokoro.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.|Division of Developmental Neuroscience, United Graduate School of Child Development, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. masako@kokoro.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.|Department of Pediatrics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. masako@kokoro.med.osaka-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniike
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012016:Reference Values; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: autism spectrum disorder; brainstem; motor; voxel-based morphometry; white matter