title: Pivotal response treatment prompts a functional rewiring of the brain among individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: Behavioral interventions for autism have gained prominence in recent years; however, the neural-systems-level targets of these interventions remain poorly understood. We use a novel Bayesian framework to extract network-based differences before and after a 16-week pivotal response treatment (PRT) regimen. Our results suggest that the functional changes induced by PRT localize to the posterior cingulate and are marked by a shift in connectivity from the orbitofrontal cortex to the occipital-temporal cortex. Our results illuminate a potential PRT-induced learning mechanism, whereby the neural circuits involved during social perception shift from sensory and attentional systems to higher-level object and face processing areas.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland bDepartment of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven Connecticut cCenter for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven Connecticut dDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven Connecticut eAutism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, The George Washington University and the Children's National Health System, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
authors.forename: Archana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venkataraman
authors.forename: Daniel Y-J
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Nicha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dvornek
authors.forename: Lawrence H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Staib
authors.forename: James S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: Kevin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Pelphrey
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ventola
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen