A study of abnormal cerebral cortical thickness in patients with autism
10.3760/cma.j.cn113661-20200819-00370
- VernacularTitle:孤独症患者异常脑皮质厚度的研究
- Author:
Kunping CHEN
1
;
Aihua CAO
;
Yuan YAO
;
Chao CHE
;
Kunhong CHEN
;
Kangcheng WANG
;
Hui WANG
Author Information
1. 山东大学齐鲁医院儿科，济南 250012
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Autistic disorder;
Magnetic resonance imaging;
Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange;
Dorsal attention network
- From:
Chinese Journal of Psychiatry
2021;54(4):271-279
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:This study aims to explore the structural characteristics of the abnormal brain cortex in patients with autism by analyzing the neuroanatomical differences between patients with autism and the healthy controls.Methods:This study analyzed the brain imaging data of patients with autism ( n=525) and healthy controls ( n=569) extracted from the database of the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) which collected data from 20 sites around the world. The cerebral cortex thickness was estimated using the FreeSurfer software based on the data of brain structure and was compared between patients with autism and the healthy controls using the t test. At the same time, according to their age, all participants were divided into three groups, which were younger than 12 years old group(150 patients and 151 controls), 12 to 18 years old group (210 patients and 233 controls), and older than 18 years old group (159 patients and 183 controls), and the cortical thickness was compared between patients with autism and healthy controls in different age groups using the t test respectively. Results:Based on the comparison of the thickness of the cerebral cortex between the autism group and the control group, it was found that compared with the control group, patients with autism showed a significant increase in cortical thickness in the occipital face area of both left and right sides of the brain (left side: size=1 043.95 mm 2, Z=4.31, MNI coordinates: x=-13.1, y=-102.4, z=2.4; right side: size=1 364.13 mm 2, Z=5.14, MNI coordinates: x=14.4, y=-101.3, z=3.1) and significant atrophy of cortical thickness at the posterior part of the superior frontal gyrus on the right side of the brain (size=485.86 mm 2, Z=4.71, MNI coordinates: x=6.8, y=-13.1, z=61.6). Comparisons of cerebral cortical thickness in different age groups found that patients younger than 12 years old showed a significant reduction in cortical thickness in the middle and posterior right superior frontal gyrus (right side: size=914.44 mm 2, Z=4.86, MNI coordinates: x=19.7, y=32.4, z=41.1) and inferior temporal gyrus (left side: size=638.16 mm 2, Z=-4.36, MNI coordinates: x=-34.7, y=-32.5, z=-22.8) compared to the healthy controls of the same age. Patients within 12 to 18 years old showed a reduction in the cortical thickness of the posterior upper frontal gyrus and an increase in the occipital facial area compared to the corresponding healthy controls. No significant difference in the thickness of the cortex was found between patients older than 18 years and the healthy controls of the same age. Conclusion:Abnormal cortical thickness in the occipital face area and posterior part of the superior frontal gyrus could be the characteristics of neurodevelopment in patients with autism, especially in younger children with autism.
