Reduced functional connectivity to the frontal cortex during processing of social cues in autism spectrum disorder.
People diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) characteristically present with severe difficulties in interpreting every-day social signals. Currently it is assumed that these difficulties might have neurobiological correlates in alterations in activation as well as in connectivity in and between regions of the social perception network suggested to govern the processing of social cues. In this study, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-based activation and connectivity analyses focusing on face-, voice-, and audiovisual-processing brain regions as the most important subareas of the social perception network. Results revealed alterations in connectivity among regions involved in the processing of social stimuli in ASD subjects compared to typically developed (TD) controls-specifically, a reduced connectivity between the left temporal voice area (TVA) and the superior and medial frontal gyrus. Alterations in connectivity, moreover, were correlated with the severity of autistic traits: correlation analysis indicated that the connectivity between the left TVA and the limbic lobe, anterior cingulate and the medial frontal gyrus as well as between the right TVA and the frontal lobe, anterior cingulate, limbic lobe and the caudate decreased with increasing symptom severity. As these frontal regions are understood to play an important role in interpreting and mentalizing social signals, the observed underconnectivity might be construed as playing a role in social impairments in ASD.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. elgin-maria.hoffmann@student.uni-tuebingen.de.
Elgin
E
Hoffmann
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Carolin
C
Brück
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Benjamin
B
Kreifelts
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.|Department of Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Thomas
T
Ethofer
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Dirk
D
Wildgruber
D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D003463:Cues; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult
D010100:Oxygen
Autism spectrum disorder; Functional connectivity in autism; Psycho-physiological interaction analysis; Social perception network; fMRI