title: State-Dependent Differences in Functional Connectivity in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While there is increasing evidence of altered brain connectivity in autism, the degree and direction of these alterations in connectivity and their uniqueness to autism has not been established. The aim of the present study was to compare connectivity in children with autism to that of typically developing controls and children with developmental delay without autism.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed EEG spectral power, coherence, phase lag, Pearson and partial correlations, and epileptiform activity during the awake, slow wave sleep, and REM sleep states in 137 children aged 2 to 6 years with autism (n = 87), developmental delay without autism (n = 21), or typical development (n = 29).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that brain connectivity, as measured by coherence, phase lag, and Pearson and partial correlations distinguished children with autism from both neurotypical and developmentally delayed children. In general, children with autism had increased coherence which was most prominent during slow wave sleep.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Functional connectivity is distinctly different in children with autism compared to samples with typical development and developmental delay without autism. Differences in connectivity in autism are state and region related. In this study, children with autism were characterized by a dynamically evolving pattern of altered connectivity.
authors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 1C250, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors: Ashura W
authors: AW
authors: Buckley
authors: Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
authors: Rod
authors: R
authors: Scott
authors: Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Tyler
authors: Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
authors: J Matthew
authors: JM
authors: Mahoney
authors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 1C250, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors: Audrey
authors: A
authors: Thurm
authors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 1C250, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors: Cristan
authors: C
authors: Farmer
authors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 1C250, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors: Susan
authors: S
authors: Swedo
authors: Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
authors: Scott A
authors: SA
authors: Burroughs
authors: National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Room 1C250, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors: Gregory L
authors: GL
authors: Holmes
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058256:Brain Waves; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012894:Sleep Stages; D060388:Support Vector Machine
keywords: Coherence; EEG; Epilepsy; Epileptiform; Pearson; Power spectral analysis