title: Relationship Between Cortical Gyrification, White Matter Connectivity, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition, which is accompanied by differences in gray matter neuroanatomy and white matter connectivity. However, it is unknown whether these differences are linked or reflect independent aetiologies. Using a multimodal neuroimaging approach, we therefore examined 51 male adults with ASD and 48 neurotypical controls to investigate the relationship between gray matter local gyrification (lGI) and white matter diffusivity in associated fiber tracts. First, ASD individuals had a significant increase in gyrification around the left pre- and post-central gyrus. Second, white matter fiber tracts originating and/or terminating in the cluster of increased lGI had a significant increase in axial diffusivity. This increase in diffusivity was predominantly observed in tracts in close proximity to the cortical sheet. Last, we demonstrate that the increase in lGI was significantly correlated with increased diffusivity of short tracts. This relationship was not significantly modulated by a main effect of group (i.e., ASD), which was more closely associated with gray matter gyrification than white matter diffusivity. Our findings suggest that differences in gray matter neuroanatomy and white matter connectivity are closely linked, and may reflect common rather than distinct aetiological pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ecker
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dell'Acqua
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Catani
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thiebaut de Schotten
authors.affiliation: Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baron-Cohen
authors.affiliation: Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, UK Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre or Addiction and Mental Health and The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1H4, Canada Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan 100, R.O.C.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 8AH, UK Department of Psychology and Center for Applied Neuroscience, University of Cyprus, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.affiliation: Brain Mapping Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK.
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Bullmore
authors.affiliation: Brain Mapping Unit, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suckling
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 5HQ, UK.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Goethe University, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiocchetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, and the Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College, London SE5 8AF, UK.
authors.forename: D G M
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007360:Intelligence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009929:Organ Size; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D066127:White Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; brain anatomy; brain connectivity; brain development; multimodal neuroimaging