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Molecular Autism
Published in: Molecular Autism 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Research

Generalizability and reproducibility of functional connectivity in autism

Authors: Jace B. King, Molly B. D. Prigge, Carolyn K. King, Jubel Morgan, Fiona Weathersby, J. Chancellor Fox, Douglas C. Dean III, Abigail Freeman, Joaquin Alfonso M. Villaruz, Karen L. Kane, Erin D. Bigler, Andrew L. Alexander, Nicholas Lange, Brandon Zielinski, Janet E. Lainhart, Jeffrey S. Anderson

Published in: Molecular Autism | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Autism is hypothesized to represent a disorder of brain connectivity, yet patterns of atypical functional connectivity show marked heterogeneity across individuals.

Methods

We used a large multi-site dataset comprised of a heterogeneous population of individuals with autism and typically developing individuals to compare a number of resting-state functional connectivity features of autism. These features were also tested in a single site sample that utilized a high-temporal resolution, long-duration resting-state acquisition technique.

Results

No one method of analysis provided reproducible results across research sites, combined samples, and the high-resolution dataset. Distinct categories of functional connectivity features that differed in autism such as homotopic, default network, salience network, long-range connections, and corticostriatal connectivity, did not align with differences in clinical and behavioral traits in individuals with autism. One method, lag-based functional connectivity, was not correlated to other methods in describing patterns of resting-state functional connectivity and their relationship to autism traits.

Conclusion

Overall, functional connectivity features predictive of autism demonstrated limited generalizability across sites, with consistent results only for large samples. Different types of functional connectivity features do not consistently predict different symptoms of autism. Rather, specific features that predict autism symptoms are distributed across feature types.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Generalizability and reproducibility of functional connectivity in autism
Authors
Jace B. King
Molly B. D. Prigge
Carolyn K. King
Jubel Morgan
Fiona Weathersby
J. Chancellor Fox
Douglas C. Dean III
Abigail Freeman
Joaquin Alfonso M. Villaruz
Karen L. Kane
Erin D. Bigler
Andrew L. Alexander
Nicholas Lange
Brandon Zielinski
Janet E. Lainhart
Jeffrey S. Anderson
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Molecular Autism / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 2040-2392
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-019-0273-5

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