Subregional differences in intrinsic amygdala hyper and hypo connectivity in autism spectrum disorder

摘要

LAY ABSTRACTAutism research indicates that there may be similar brain circuits affected in both individuals with autism and individuals with mood disorders such as major depression. However, psychotropic medications, while widely prescribed in individuals with autism, have been largely unsuccessful in treating core autism symptoms, indicating that etiology of co-existing psychiatric and autism symptoms may differ.In this fMRI study, the relationship between brain activity in the amygdala, a small, almond-shaped structure located deep within the brain, and activity in other parts of the brain were examined in 25 individuals with autism and 28 individuals without autism, during rest. This study provides the first evidence that connections between the amygdala and other brain regions are not uniformly atypical in autism, but differ depending on the subregion under investigation. In autism we observed weaker connections from the laterobasal subregion of the amygdala, a group of nuclei involved in social behavior and emotion, and, stronger connections from the centromedial and superficial subregions, which are involved in emotional arousal and olfaction. Additionally, we found that connectivity patterns related to autism symptoms were different from connectivity patterns related to mood symptoms. This finding suggests that despite occurring frequently in individuals with autism, mood disorders may involve separate neural mechanisms. This finding may also help explain why psychotropic medications are generally ineffective at treating autism symptoms.