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Functional Connectivity MRI in Autism

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Imaging the Brain in Autism

Abstract

Functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) is a technique that examines the synchrony of repeated functional MRI (fMRI) measurements between two or more brain regions. The underlying concept is that even random “noise” in a brain region will get propagated to other connected brain areas and that this will result in synchronized patterns of activation that are specific to functionally connected brain networks. The fcMRI literature in autism has proliferated rapidly, with general, although not uniform evidence of underconnectivity in distributed brain networks in autism. Studies to date are heterogeneous, some using an underlying cognitive task and others not; some examine specific neural pathways and others examine large networks or the entire brain. Abnormalities are most apparent in distributed networks in association cortex, with the default mode network being the most commonly reported abnormal network. Future studies will greatly benefit from data-sharing initiatives such as the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) and National Database for Autism Research (NDAR). Despite lingering methodological concerns, there is reason for optimism that replicable patterns of abnormal brain connectivity may be established in the near future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University of Utah, 30 North 1900 East #1A071, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA

    Jeffrey S. Anderson

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  1. Jeffrey S. Anderson
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Correspondence to Jeffrey S. Anderson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Psychiatry, University of Louisville, S. Preston Street 500, Louisville, 40292, Kentucky, USA

    Manuel F. Casanova

  2. , Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, 40208, USA

    Ayman S. El-Baz

  3. Global Biomedical Technologies, Otter Glen Ct. 208, Roseville, 95661, California, USA

    Jasjit S. Suri

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Anderson, J.S. (2013). Functional Connectivity MRI in Autism. In: Casanova, M., El-Baz, A., Suri, J. (eds) Imaging the Brain in Autism. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6843-1_11

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