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Mapping the Network of Neuropsychological Impairment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Graph Theoretical Analysis

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Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit social-communicative impairments. Less is known about the neuropsychological profile of ASD, although cognitive and neuropsychological deficits are evident. We modelled neuropsychological function in 20 children with ASD and 20 sex, age and IQ matched typically-developing controls (ages 7–14) as a network of interacting parameters. Graph theoretical analysis was applied to identify critical topographic regions within this network. Two areas were significantly stronger hubs in typically-developing children, the ability to shift attention (p < 0.001) and overall executive function (p < 0.001). Planning/organization was a stronger hub in the cognitive networks of children with ASD (p = 0.001). We show that ASD is not only characterized by impairments in various neurocognitive domains, but also alterations in their interaction.

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Acknowledgments

No financial support was received for this work.

Author Contributions

George M. Ibrahim conceived the idea, performed the analysis, drafted the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript. Benjamin R. Morgan performed the analysis, edited the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript. Vanessa M. Vogan collected the data, drafted the manuscript, edited the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript. Rachel C. Leung collected the data, drafted the manuscript, edited the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript. Evdokia Anagnostou edited the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript. Margot J. Taylor supervised the project, edited the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Suite 1403, 555 University Ave, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada

    George M. Ibrahim

  2. Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Benjamin R. Morgan

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Vanessa M. Vogan, Rachel C. Leung & Margot J. Taylor

  4. Division of Neurology, Holland Bloodview Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Evdokia Anagnostou

  5. Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Margot J. Taylor

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  1. George M. Ibrahim
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  2. Benjamin R. Morgan
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  3. Vanessa M. Vogan
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  4. Rachel C. Leung
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  5. Evdokia Anagnostou
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  6. Margot J. Taylor
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Correspondence to George M. Ibrahim.

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The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Ibrahim, G.M., Morgan, B.R., Vogan, V.M. et al. Mapping the Network of Neuropsychological Impairment in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Graph Theoretical Analysis. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 3770–3777 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2929-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2929-8

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