Features of resting-state functional MR imaging in male and female children with autism spectrum disorder
10.3760/cma.j.cn115354-20200722-00586
- VernacularTitle:不同性别自闭症谱系障碍患儿的静息态脑功能成像研究
- Author:
Cuicui LI
1
;
Linglong CHEN
;
Haibo XU
Author Information
1. 武汉大学中南医院影像科，武汉 430071
- Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorder;
Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging;
Regional homogeneity;
Gender factor
- From:
Chinese Journal of Neuromedicine
2021;20(2):188-195
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To examine the differences of local functional connectivity in male and female children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and analyze the correlation of local functional connectivity with severity of clinical symptoms in ASD children.Methods:In the International Autism Brain Imaging Exchange Database, resting-state functional MR imaging (rs-fMRI) and T1WI data were extracted from 72 children with ASD (36 male and 36 female) and 72 normal controls (36 male and 36 female) who met the inclusion criteria at 5 sites. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) method was used to evaluate the local functional connectivity of the 4 groups. A covariance analysis (gender and diagnosis as factors; age, total intelligence quotient, and head movement parameters as concomitant variables) was used to find out the differences of ReHo in the 4 groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between ReHo values with significant differences in covariance analysis and revised autism diagnostic interview (ADI-R) scale scores in children with ASD.Results:(1) Regarding the main effect of diagnosis, significantly decreased ReHo values in the right posterior cerebellar lobe, and significantly increased ReHo values in the left anterior central gyrus and the left precuneus of the ASD children were noted as compared with those in the normal controls (GRF calibration, voxel level: P<0.01, cluster level: P<0.05); regarding the main effect of gender, the male subjects had significantly higher ReHo value in the right middle temporal gyrus, and significantly lower ReHo values in the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left precuneus, the right angular gyrus, and the right supramarginal gyrus than the female subjects (GRF calibration, voxel level: P<0.01, cluster level: P<0.05); interaction effect (diagnosis×gender) results showed that there was significant difference in ReHo values of the left middle frontal gyrus among the 4 groups (GRF calibration, voxel level: P<0.01, cluster level: P<0.05). (2) The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the ReHo value in the right middle temporal gyrus was positively correlated with the verbal performance scores measured by ADI-R scale ( r=0.387, P=0.026), and the ReHo value in the right posterior cerebellar lobe was positively correlated with the social dimensionality scores ( r=0.364, P=0.037) in male patients with ASD; the ReHo value in the right supramarginal gyrus was negatively associated with the social dimensionality scores ( r=-0.395, P=0.031), and the ReHo value in the left middle frontal gyrus was negatively associated with the repetitive behavior scores in female patients with ASD ( r=-0.398, P=0.029). Conclusion:There are brain regions with abnormal local functional connectivity in ASD children, and there are differences in local functional connectivity between male and female patients with ASD, which may be the brain functional basis of the differences in the clinical manifestations of male and female patients with ASD, and local functional connectivity in some brain regions is related to the severity of clinical symptoms of the children with ASD.
