泛自閉症障礙與正常發育青少年之大腦功能性連結年齡差異

Abstract

自閉症譜系障礙 (ASD) 在兒童中變得越來越普遍（每 44 人中有 1 人），並且隨著腦成像技術的進步，我們對自閉症的結構發育和功能連接如何與整個 ASD 青春期的社會互動和意識相關的理解也在加深。本研究重點關注 ASD 與典型發育(TD) 控制之間的靜息狀態功能連接 (FC) 差異，這些差異以年齡動態和特定區域的方式進行。ASD FC 中的興奮和抑制始於過度生產和減少的大腦結構調整，這導致短程大腦區域的超連接性和遠程大腦區域的低連接性。該系統為 ASD 的社會互動和意識設置了困難。在 76 名 ASD 受試者和 78 名 9-19 歲的 TD 受試者中進行的 T 檢驗和三次回歸模型顯示了 FC 發育變化對年齡的影響。與 TD 相比，T 檢驗揭示了 ASD 中的延遲 FC 模式，區域內 FC 較多，區域間 FC 較少。三次回歸模型揭示了七個重要的大腦區域的相互作用，顯示了額內、額枕和顳葉連接的整體延遲 FC 模式。一個顳頂葉連接顯示相反的模式，ASD FC 在早期（10-12 歲）具有更高的相關性，然後在後期（15-16 歲）的相關性低於 TD，與 TD 呈正相關。社會意識分數。表明超連通性與整個大腦的負強化抑制了整個發育過程中對社會環境的適應和理解。ASD 大腦從出生就被設計為具有短程超連接性，不會在整個大腦中發展出強大的 FC 連接，以做出更高階的決策並理解通常開發、學習和整合到 TD 青少年大腦中的社會線索。這項研究強調了每個發育年的重要性以及 ASD大腦如何在 FC 和社會意識適應中發生變化，以便提供針對這些發育年齡的潛在治療解決方案。

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is becoming more common in children (1 in ev-ery 44), and as brain imaging technology advances, so does our understanding of how the disorder’s structural development and functional connectivity relate to social interactions and awareness throughout ASD adolescence. This study focuses on the resting-state functional connectivity (FC) differences between ASD and typically developing (TD) controls in an age-dynamic and region-specific manner. Excitation and inhibition in ASD FC begins with hyper-production and decreased brain structural tuning, which results in hyper-connectivity in short-range brain regions and hypo-connectivity in long-range brain regions. This system sets up the difficulties for social interaction and awareness in ASD. A T-test and a cubic regression model in 76 ASD subjects and 78 TD subjects aged 9-19 showed the effect of FC developmental changes across age. When compared to TD, the T-test revealed a delayed FC pattern in ASD, with more intra-region FC and less inter-region FC. The cubic regression model revealed seven significant brain regions’ interactions,showing an overall delayed FC pattern in intra-frontal, frontal-occipital, and temporal-insular connections. One temporal-parietal connection showed the opposite pattern, with ASD FC having a higher correlation in the early ages (10-12), then a lower correlation in the later ages (15-16) than TD, which showed a positive correlation with the social awareness score. Indicating hyper-connectivity with negative reinforcement across the brain inhibiting adaptation and understanding of social settings throughout development. The ASD brain has been designed from birth to have short-range hyper-connectivity that does not develop strong FC connections across the brain to make higher order decisions and understand social cues that are normally developed, learned, and integrated into a TD adolescent brain. This study highlights the significance of each developmental year and how the ASD brain changes in FC and social awareness adaptation in order to provide potential therapeutic solutions targeted at these ages of development.