Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Abnormal Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Clinical Neuroradiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study sought to explore changes of brain dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and investigate their relationship with clinical manifestations.

Methods

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data were acquired from 78 adult ASD patients from autism brain imaging data exchange datasets, and 65 age-matched healthy controls subjects from the local community. Independent component analysis was conducted to evaluate dFNC patterns on the basis of 13 independent components (ICs) within 11 resting-state networks (RSN), namely, auditory network (AUDN), basal ganglia network (BGN), language network (LN), sensorimotor network (SMN), precuneus network (PUCN), salience network (SN), visuospatial network (VSN), dorsal default mode network (dDMN), high visual network (hVIS), primary visual network (pVIS), ventral default mode network (vDMN). Fraction time, mean dwell time, number of transitions, and RSN connectivity were calculated for group comparisons. Correlation analyses were performed between abnormal metrics and autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS) scores.

Results

Compared with controls, ASD patients had higher fraction time and mean dwell time in state 2 (P = 0.017, P = 0.014). Reduced dFNC was found in the SMN with PUCN, SMN with hVIS, and increased dFNC was observed in the dDMN with SN in state 2 in the ASD group. Fraction time and mean dwell time was positively correlated with stereotyped behavior scores of ADOS.

Conclusion

The findings demonstrated the importance of evaluating transient alterations in specific neural networks of adult ASD patients. The abnormal metrics and connectivity may be related to symptoms such as stereotyped behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Philip RC, Dauvermann MR, Whalley HC, Baynham K, Lawrie SM, Stanfield AC. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the fMRI investigation of autism spectrum disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2012;36:901–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Margolis AE, Pagliaccio D, Thomas L, Banker S, Marsh R. Salience network connectivity and social processing in children with nonverbal learning disability or autism spectrum disorder. Neuropsychology. 2019;33:135–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Fu Z, Tu Y, Di X, Du Y, Sui J, Biswal BB, Zhang Z, de Lacy N, Calhoun VD. Transient increased thalamic-sensory connectivity and decreased whole-brain dynamism in autism. Neuroimage. 2019;190:191–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. McPherson BC, Pestilli F. A single mode of population covariation associates brain networks structure and behavior and predicts individual subjects’ age. Commun Biol. 2021;4:943.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Anagnostou E, Taylor MJ. Review of neuroimaging in autism spectrum disorders: what have we learned and where we go from here. Mol Autism. 2011;2:4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Justus SA, Powell PS, Duarte A. Intact context memory performance in adults with autism spectrum disorder. Sci Rep. 2021;11:20482.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Nair A, Treiber JM, Shukla DK, Shih P, Müller RA. Impaired thalamocortical connectivity in autism spectrum disorder: a study of functional and anatomical connectivity. Brain. 2013;136:1942–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Cerliani L, Mennes M, Thomas RM, Di Martino A, Thioux M, Keysers C. Increased Functional Connectivity Between Subcortical and Cortical Resting-State Networks in Autism Spectrum Disorder. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015;72:767–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Calhoun VD, Miller R, Pearlson G, Adalı T. The chronnectome: time-varying connectivity networks as the next frontier in fMRI data discovery. Neuron. 2014;84:262–74.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Abrol A, Damaraju E, Miller RL, Stephen JM, Claus ED, Mayer AR, Calhoun VD. Replicability of time-varying connectivity patterns in large resting state fMRI samples. Neuroimage. 2017;163:160–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Preti MG, Bolton TA, Van De Ville D. The dynamic functional connectome: State-of-the-art and perspectives. Neuroimage. 2017;160:41–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Du Y, Pearlson GD, Yu Q, He H, Lin D, Sui J, Wu L, Calhoun VD. Interaction among subsystems within default mode network diminished in schizophrenia patients: A dynamic connectivity approach. Schizophr Res. 2016;170:55–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Li YO, Adali T, Calhoun VD. Estimating the number of independent components for functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Hum Brain Mapp. 2007;28:1251–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Wang C, Cai H, Sun X, Si L, Zhang M, Xu Y, Qian Y, Zhu J. Large-Scale Internetwork Functional Connectivity Mediates the Relationship between Serum Triglyceride and Working Memory in Young Adulthood. Neural Plast. 2020;2020:8894868.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Jiang SF, Shi JY, Yang ZT, Zhang L, Chen HJ. Aberrant dynamic functional network connectivity in cirrhotic patients without overt hepatic encephalopathy. Eur J Radiol. 2020;132:109324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Espinoza FA, Liu J, Ciarochi J, Turner JA, Vergara VM, Caprihan A, Misiura M, Johnson HJ, Long JD, Bockholt JH, Paulsen JS, Calhoun VD. Dynamic functional network connectivity in Huntington’s disease and its associations with motor and cognitive measures. Hum Brain Mapp. 2019;40:1955–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Lord C, Rutter M, DiLavore PC, Risi S. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-WPS (ADOS-WPS). Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services; 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Nomi JS, Farrant K, Damaraju E, Rachakonda S, Calhoun VD, Uddin LQ. Dynamic functional network connectivity reveals unique and overlapping profiles of insula subdivisions. Hum Brain Mapp. 2016;37:1770–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Allen EA, Damaraju E, Plis SM, Erhardt EB, Eichele T, Calhoun VD. Tracking whole-brain connectivity dynamics in the resting state. Cereb Cortex. 2014;24:663–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Yu Q, Erhardt EB, Sui J, Du Y, He H, Hjelm D, Cetin MS, Rachakonda S, Miller RL, Pearlson G, Calhoun VD. Assessing dynamic brain graphs of time-varying connectivity in fMRI data: application to healthy controls and patients with schizophrenia. Neuroimage. 2015;107:345–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Rashid B, Damaraju E, Pearlson GD, Calhoun VD. Dynamic connectivity states estimated from resting fMRI Identify differences among Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and healthy control subjects. Front Hum Neurosci. 2014;8:897.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Anderson JS, Nielsen JA, Froehlich AL, DuBray MB, Druzgal TJ, Cariello AN, Cooperrider JR, Zielinski BA, Ravichandran C, Fletcher PT, Alexander AL, Bigler ED, Lange N, Lainhart JE. Functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging classification of autism. Brain. 2011;134:3742–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Gotts SJ, Simmons WK, Milbury LA, Wallace GL, Cox RW, Martin A. Fractionation of social brain circuits in autism spectrum disorders. Brain. 2012;135:2711–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Karabulut S, İlhan Y. Sociodemographic characteristics of patients with adult autism spectrum disorder. In: International Congress on Psychopharmacology & International Symposium on Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology. 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Vannucchi G, Masi G, Toni C, Dell’Osso L, Marazziti D, Perugi G. Clinical features, developmental course, and psychiatric comorbidity of adult autism spectrum disorders. CNS Spectr. 2014;19:157–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Shafritz KM, Dichter GS, Baranek GT, Belger A. The neural circuitry mediating shifts in behavioral response and cognitive set in autism. Biol Psychiatry. 2008;63:974–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Starkstein SE, Vazquez S, Vrancic D, Nanclares V, Manes F, Piven J, Plebst C. SPECT findings in mentally retarded autistic individuals. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2000;12:370–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Boccia M, Sulpizio V, Teghil A, Palermo L, Piccardi L, Galati G, Guariglia C. The dynamic contribution of the high-level visual cortex to imagery and perception. Hum Brain Mapp. 2019;40:2449–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Lu L, Zhang J, Li F, Shang S, Chen H, Yin X, Gao W, Chen YC. Aberrant Static and Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity in Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injury with Cognitive Impairment. Clin Neuroradiol. 2022;32:205–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Park S, Haak KV, Cho HB, Valk SL, Bethlehem RAI, Milham MP, Bernhardt BC, Di Martino A, Hong SJ. Atypical Integration of Sensory-to-Transmodal Functional Systems Mediates Symptom Severity in Autism. Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:699813.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Sabatino DiCriscio A, Troiani V. The Broader Autism Phenotype and Visual Perception in Children. J Autism Dev Disord. 2018;48:2809–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Celani G, Battacchi MW, Arcidiacono L. The understanding of the emotional meaning of facial expressions in people with autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 1999;29:57–66.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Corbett BA, Newsom C, Key AP, Qualls LR, Edmiston EK. Examining the relationship between face processing and social interaction behavior in children with and without autism spectrum disorder. J Neurodev Disord. 2014;6:35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Cabeza R, Nyberg L. Imaging cognition II: An empirical review of 275 PET and fMRI studies. J Cogn Neurosci. 2000;12:1–47.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Lynch CJ, Uddin LQ, Supekar K, Khouzam A, Phillips J, Menon V. Default mode network in childhood autism: posteromedial cortex heterogeneity and relationship with social deficits. Biol Psychiatry. 2013;74:212–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Barak B, Feng G. Neurobiology of social behavior abnormalities in autism and Williams syndrome. Nat Neurosci. 2016;19:647–55.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Raichle ME, MacLeod AM, Snyder AZ, Powers WJ, Gusnard DA, Shulman GL. A default mode of brain function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001;98:676–82.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Seeley WW, Menon V, Schatzberg AF, Keller J, Glover GH, Kenna H, Reiss AL, Greicius MD. Dissociable intrinsic connectivity networks for salience processing and executive control. J Neurosci. 2007;27:2349–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Hamilton RK, Hiatt Racer K, Newman JP. Impaired integration in psychopathy: A unified theory of psychopathic dysfunction. Psychol Rev. 2015;122:770–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Espinoza FA, Anderson NE, Vergara VM, Harenski CL, Decety J, Rachakonda S, Damaraju E, Koenigs M, Kosson DS, Harenski K, Calhoun VD, Kiehl KA. Resting-state fMRI dynamic functional network connectivity and associations with psychopathy traits. Neuroimage Clin. 2019;24:101970.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Baker JK, Seltzer MM, Greenberg JS. Longitudinal effects of adaptability on behavior problems and maternal depression in families of adolescents with autism. J Fam Psychol. 2011;25:601–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Rashid B, Arbabshirani MR, Damaraju E, Cetin MS, Miller R, Pearlson GD, Calhoun VD. Classification of schizophrenia and bipolar patients using static and dynamic resting-state fMRI brain connectivity. Neuroimage. 2016;134:645–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the healthy volunteers who participated in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Imaging, Zhengzhou University People’s Hospital & Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, 7 Weiwu Road, 450000, Zhengzhou, China

    Xipeng Yue, Ge Zhang, Xiaochen Li, Yu Shen, Wei Wei, Yan Bai, Yu Luo, Huanhuan Wei & Meiyun Wang

  2. Academy of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

    Xipeng Yue, Yu Luo & Huanhuan Wei

  3. Xinxiang Medical University & Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou & Xinxiang, Henan, China

    Ziqiang Li

  4. MR Collaboration, Siemens Healthineers Ltd., Beijing, China

    Xianchang Zhang

Authors
  1. Xipeng Yue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ge Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xiaochen Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yu Shen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Wei Wei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yan Bai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Yu Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Huanhuan Wei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Ziqiang Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Xianchang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Meiyun Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Meiyun Wang.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

X. Yue, G. Zhang, X. Li, Y. Shen, W. Wei, Y. Bai, Y. Luo, H. Wei, Z. Li, X. Zhang and M. Wang declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical standards

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants or on human tissue were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1975 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The current study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Henan Provincial People’s Hospital. All participants provided written informed consent before undergoing MR imaging.

Additional information

The authors X. Yue, G. Zhang and X. Li contributed equally as the first authors.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yue, X., Zhang, G., Li, X. et al. Abnormal Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Clin Neuroradiol 32, 1087–1096 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00062-022-01173-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00062-022-01173-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation