title: Reduced modulation of thalamocortical connectivity during exposure to sensory stimuli in ASD.
abstract: Recent evidence for abnormal thalamic connectivity in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing disorders suggests the thalamus may play a role in sensory over-responsivity (SOR), an extreme negative response to sensory stimuli, which is common in ASD. However, there is yet little understanding of changes in thalamic connectivity during exposure to aversive sensory inputs in individuals with ASD. In particular, the pulvinar nucleus of the thalamus is implicated in atypical sensory processing given its role in selective attention, regulation, and sensory integration. This study aimed to examine the role of pulvinar connectivity in ASD during mildly aversive sensory input. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine connectivity with the pulvinar during exposure to mildly aversive auditory and tactile stimuli in 38 youth (age 9-17; 19 ASD, 19 IQ-matched typically developing (TD)). Parents rated children's SOR severity on two standard scales. Compared to TD, ASD participants displayed aberrant modulation of connectivity between pulvinar and cortex (including sensory-motor and prefrontal regions) during sensory stimulation. In ASD participants, pulvinar-amygdala connectivity was correlated with severity of SOR symptoms. Deficits in modulation of thalamocortical connectivity in youth with ASD may reflect reduced thalamo-cortical inhibition in response to sensory stimulation, which could lead to difficulty filtering out and/or integrating sensory information. An increase in amygdala connectivity with the pulvinar might be partially responsible for deficits in selective attention as the amygdala signals the brain to attend to distracting sensory stimuli. Autism Res 2017, 10: 801-809. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.|Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Shulamite A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4248-3576
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.|Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Leanna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Susan Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Bookheimer
authors.affiliation: Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.|Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Mirella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dapretto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D063132:Connectome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009433:Neural Inhibition / Q000502:physiology; D020649:Pulvinar / Q000503:physiopathology; D012016:Reference Values; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055139:Sensory Gating / Q000502:physiology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: amygdala; fMRI; functional connectivity; sensory over responsivity; thalamus