Publicação
Functional brain connectivity underlying decision making in social cognition: an fMRI study in ASD
| Resumo: | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition known for affecting how an individual perceives and acts in a social environment, which can lead to difficulties in interacting and communicating. The hallmarks of this condition and its consistent behavioral patterns can be detected in early childhood, despite the diagnostic difficulties that are often present. ASD prevalence is estimated at approximately 1/100 children around the world and has been following a rapid increase. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of this disorder are still a matter of investigation.This study aimed to use the functional resonance imaging technique (fMRI) to evaluate the functional brain connectivity in ASD when compared to healthy individuals. Firstly, potential key regions showing hypoactivation or hyperactivation in the autism group were analyzed, to ascertain for novel and simple brain response biomarkers, which might contribute to improve diagnosis. Then, functional brain connectivity analysis was performed to investigate brain networks potentially affected in individuals with this condition.It has been suggested that ASD individuals show lower functional connectivity between salience and theory of the mind networks, as well as between key regions known as being the most important when studying the “emotional brain”. Here, to test this hypothesis, fMRI data acquired during a simple geometric animation visual task were analyzed. Both ASD and healthy individuals visualized four different types of interactions, a positive, a negative, an indifferent, and a linear one during the acquisition.Our results suggested that both the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) show task-related hypoconnectivity with the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in the clinical group, which might be linked with ASD difficulties in comprehending the surrounding environment and integrating simple social cues.When comparing how each group processes the visualized interactions, our results showed that the positive and negative interactions are where the differences are notorious. ASD subjects revealed lower connectivity patterns between the supramarginal gyrus (SMG)/TPJ and the medial temporal gyrus (MTG) and also with the IFG, two important regions in the mirror neuron system, responsible for understanding other people’s actions.In sum, our results suggest that in autism several regions of the salience network show a poor level of connectivity with regions from the ToM network and that functions performed by the SMG (important in interpreting social context) might be compromised, due to its poorer connectivity with the TPJ and IFG. Our study thus supports previous literature suggesting autism hypoconnectivity in neural networks relevant for social cogniton. |
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| Autores principais: | Marques, Mariana Simões |
| Assunto: | fMRI functional connectivity ASD Ressonância magnetica funcional conectividade funcional doença do espero autista |
| Ano: | 2023 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Coimbra |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra |
| Resumo: | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition known for affecting how an individual perceives and acts in a social environment, which can lead to difficulties in interacting and communicating. The hallmarks of this condition and its consistent behavioral patterns can be detected in early childhood, despite the diagnostic difficulties that are often present. ASD prevalence is estimated at approximately 1/100 children around the world and has been following a rapid increase. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of this disorder are still a matter of investigation.This study aimed to use the functional resonance imaging technique (fMRI) to evaluate the functional brain connectivity in ASD when compared to healthy individuals. Firstly, potential key regions showing hypoactivation or hyperactivation in the autism group were analyzed, to ascertain for novel and simple brain response biomarkers, which might contribute to improve diagnosis. Then, functional brain connectivity analysis was performed to investigate brain networks potentially affected in individuals with this condition.It has been suggested that ASD individuals show lower functional connectivity between salience and theory of the mind networks, as well as between key regions known as being the most important when studying the “emotional brain”. Here, to test this hypothesis, fMRI data acquired during a simple geometric animation visual task were analyzed. Both ASD and healthy individuals visualized four different types of interactions, a positive, a negative, an indifferent, and a linear one during the acquisition.Our results suggested that both the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) show task-related hypoconnectivity with the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in the clinical group, which might be linked with ASD difficulties in comprehending the surrounding environment and integrating simple social cues.When comparing how each group processes the visualized interactions, our results showed that the positive and negative interactions are where the differences are notorious. ASD subjects revealed lower connectivity patterns between the supramarginal gyrus (SMG)/TPJ and the medial temporal gyrus (MTG) and also with the IFG, two important regions in the mirror neuron system, responsible for understanding other people’s actions.In sum, our results suggest that in autism several regions of the salience network show a poor level of connectivity with regions from the ToM network and that functions performed by the SMG (important in interpreting social context) might be compromised, due to its poorer connectivity with the TPJ and IFG. Our study thus supports previous literature suggesting autism hypoconnectivity in neural networks relevant for social cogniton. |
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