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Molecular Autism
Published in: Molecular Autism 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research

Default mode network in young male adults with autism spectrum disorder: relationship with autism spectrum traits

Authors: Minyoung Jung, Hirotaka Kosaka, Daisuke N Saito, Makoto Ishitobi, Tomoyo Morita, Keisuke Inohara, Mizuki Asano, Sumiyoshi Arai, Toshio Munesue, Akemi Tomoda, Yuji Wada, Norihiro Sadato, Hidehiko Okazawa, Tetsuya Iidaka

Published in: Molecular Autism | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

Autism spectrum traits are postulated to lie on a continuum that extends between individuals with autism and individuals with typical development (TD). Social cognition properties that are deeply associated with autism spectrum traits have been linked to functional connectivity between regions within the brain’s default mode network (DMN). Previous studies have shown that the resting-state functional connectivities (rs-FCs) of DMN are low and show negative correlation with the level of autism spectrum traits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is unclear whether individual differences of autism spectrum traits are associated with the strength of rs-FCs of DMN in participants including the general population.

Methods

Using the seed-based approach, we investigated the rs-FCs of DMN, particularly including the following two core regions of DMN: the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in 19 young male adults with high-functioning ASD (mean age = 25.3 ± 6.9 years; autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) = 33.4 ± 4.2; full scale IQ (F-IQ) = 109.7 ± 12.4) compared with 21 age- and IQ-matched young male adults from the TD group (mean age = 24.8 ± 4.3 years; AQ = 18.6 ± 5.7; F-IQ = 109.5 ± 8.7). We also analyzed the correlation between the strength of rs-FCs and autism spectrum traits measured using AQ score.

Results

The strengths of rs-FCs from core regions of DMN were significantly lower in ASD participants than TD participants. Under multiple regression analysis, the strengths of rs-FCs in brain areas from aMPFC seed showed negative correlation with AQ scores in ASD participants and TD participants.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the strength of rs-FCs in DMN is associated with autism spectrum traits in the TD population as well as patients with ASD, supporting the continuum view. The rs-FCs of DMN may be useful biomarkers for the objective identification of autism spectrum traits, regardless of ASD diagnosis.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Default mode network in young male adults with autism spectrum disorder: relationship with autism spectrum traits
Authors
Minyoung Jung
Hirotaka Kosaka
Daisuke N Saito
Makoto Ishitobi
Tomoyo Morita
Keisuke Inohara
Mizuki Asano
Sumiyoshi Arai
Toshio Munesue
Akemi Tomoda
Yuji Wada
Norihiro Sadato
Hidehiko Okazawa
Tetsuya Iidaka
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Molecular Autism / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 2040-2392
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/2040-2392-5-35

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