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BackgroundThe dimensional approach to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) considers ASD as the extreme of a dimension traversing through the entire population. We explored the potential utility of electroencephalography (EEG) functional connectivity as a biomarker. We hypothesized that individual differences in autistic traits of typical subjects would involve a long-range connectivity diminution within the delta band.MethodsResting-state EEG functional connectivity was measured for 74 neurotypical subjects. All participants also provided a questionnaire (Social Responsiveness Scale, SRS) that was completed by an informant who knows the participant in social settings. We conducted multivariate regression between the SRS score and functional connectivity in all EEG frequency bands. We explored modulations of network graph metrics characterizing the optimality of a network using the SRS score.ResultsOur results show a decay in functional connectivity mainly within the delta and theta bands (the lower part of the EEG spectrum) associated with an increasing number of autistic traits. When inspecting the impact of autistic traits on the global organization of the functional network, we found that the optimal properties of the network are inversely related to the number of autistic traits, suggesting that the autistic dimension, throughout the entire population, modulates the efficiency of functional brain networks.ConclusionsEEG functional connectivity at low frequencies and its associated network properties may be associated with some autistic traits in the general population.

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Verbenaceae are a distinctive element from the Americas, and even when there are numerous useful species in the family until now they have not been listed. In line with this, we present the first checklist of Verbenaceae employed for food purposes in the continent. Seventy two bibliographical sources mentioning at least one edible Verbenaceae were selected from more than 500 references analyzed; as a result, 46 edible species have been registered. The family stands in the Americas regarding the use of aromatic plants. In fact, ca. 40% of the edible species are employed because of their aromatic traits, followed by edible fruits (ca. 33%). This collaborative effort represents a baseline for future research on this valuable lineage of flowering plants.