Hua Cheng MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Jishui Zhang, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Hao Huang PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Gaolang Gong, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Yun Peng MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

So far, it remains largely unknown how the regional functional patterns are altered in very young autistic children. The present study aims to determine if there are functional changes in social cognition-associated brain areas in autistic patients at very young stage.

Sedated-state fMRI(S-fMRI) data of 33 treatment-naïve male autism (2-6 years) and 26 age-matched controls were collected from a 3T clinical scanner using EPI sequence. The patients were diagnosed according to the ADI-R. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF were calculated using the REST software and analyzed in two different frequency bands (slow-5:0.01–0.027 Hz; slow-4: 0.027–0.073 Hz). To detect the group difference of ALFF or fALFF between autistic children and controls, a general linear model were applied to all voxels in grey matter. Statistical significance were determined by a cluster extent threshold of p<0.05, with a height threshold of p<0.01 at voxel-level. The Pearson correlation between ADI-R and ALFF/ fALFF in the clusters showing significant group difference was analyzed in the patient group.

We have found significant differences of frequency-dependent ALFF/fALFF in multiple brain regions between autistic children and controls (supplementary Figure) which are associated with social cognition. Compared to controls, the patients showed similar decreased patterns in ALFF of both frequency bands and in fALFF of slow-5 band. Interestingly, ADI-R scores showed significant negative correlation with ALFF of slow-4 band in left temporal gyrus (p=0.01) (supplementary Figure). 

Our study reveals the abnormalities of functional activity of very young autistic children in multiple brain regions, which possibly underlies core symptoms of autism. The ALFF in left temporal lobe could be an imaging maker for autism evaluation. Therefore, the ALFF/fALFF analysis based on S-fMRI can be utilized as a potential method to evaluate brain functional development in very young children.

The ALFF under sedated state could be a new imaging marker for evaluating functional abnormalities of autism in very young age.

Cheng, H, Zhang, J, Huang, H, Gong, G, Peng, Y, Alteration of Regional Low-frequency Fluctuation in Very Young Autistic Children: A Sedated-state fMRI Study.  Radiological Society of North America 2013 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, December 1 - December 6, 2013 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2013/13021352.html