Different functional connectivity optimal frequency in autism compared with healthy controls and the relationship with social communication deficits: Evidence from gene expression and behavior symptom analyses. Issue 1 (13th July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Long, Jinjin; Lu, Fengmei; Yang, Shanshan; Zhang, Qianyue; Chen, Xue; Pang, Yajing; Wang, Min; He, Bifang; Liu, Heng; Duan, Xujun; Chen, Huafu; Ye, Shaobing; Chen, Heng
• Is Part Of: Human brain mapping. Volume 44:Issue 1(2023)
• Page Start: 258
• Page End: 268
• Publication Date: 2022-07-13
• Subjects: autism spectrum disorder -- optimal frequency -- resting‐state fMRI -- social communication; Brain mapping -- Periodicals; 611.81
• DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1065-9471

Abstract

Abstract: Studies have reported that different brain regions/connections possess distinct frequency properties, which are related to brain function. Previous studies have proposed altered brain activity frequency and frequency‐specific functional connectivity (FC) patterns in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), implying the varied dominant frequency of FC in ASD. However, the difference of the dominant frequency of FC between ASD and healthy controls (HCs) remains unclear. In the present study, the dominant frequency of FC was measured by FC optimal frequency, which was defined as the intermediate of the frequency bin at which the FC strength could reach the maximum. A multivariate pattern analysis was conducted to determine whether the FC optimal frequency in ASD differs from that in HCs. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and enrichment analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between the FC optimal frequency difference of ASD/HCs and cortical gene expression. PLSR analyses were also performed to explore the relationship between FC optimal frequency and the clinical symptoms of ASD. Results showed a significant difference of FC optimal frequency between ASD and HCs. Some genes whose cortical expression patterns are related to the FC optimal frequency difference of ASD/HCs were enriched for social communication problems. Meanwhile, the FC optimal frequency in ASD was significantly related to social communication symptoms. These results may help us understand the neuro‐mechanism of the social communication deficits in ASD. Abstract : The study revealed that the optimal frequency of some resting‐state FCs in ASD was higher than that in HCs. The gene expression and clinical symptom evidence showed that the FC optimal frequency difference of ASD/HCs is related to social communication deficits in ASD. The results imply an altered dominant frequency property of the neural transmission mechanism in ASD, which may provide a biomarker for behavioral symptoms of ASD, particularly of social communication deficits.