Disrupted dynamic functional network connectivity in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Abstract

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can result in harmful and long-lasting neurodevelopmental changes. Children with PAE or a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have decreased white matter volume and resting-state spectral power compared to typically developing controls (TDC) and impaired resting-state static functional connectivity. The impact of PAE on resting-state dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) is unknown. Methods: Using eyes-closed and eyes-open magnetoencephalography (MEG) restingstate data, global dFNC statistics and meta-states were examined in 89 children aged 6-16 years (51 TDC, 38 with FASD). Source analyzed MEG data were used as input to group spatial independent component analysis to derive functional networks from which the dFNC was calculated. Results: During eyes-closed, relative to TDC, participants with FASD spent a significantly longer time in state 2, typified by anticorrelation (i.e., decreased connectivity) within and between default mode network (DMN) and visual network (VN), and state 4, typified by stronger internetwork correlation. The FASD group exhibited greater dynamic fluidity and dynamic range (i.e., entered more states, changed from one meta-state to another more often, and traveled greater distances) than TDC. During eyes-open, TDC spent significantly more time in state 1, typified by positive intra-and interdomain connectivity with modest correlation within the frontal network (FN), while participants with FASD spent a larger fraction of time in state 2, typified by anticorrelation within and between DMN and VN and strong correlation within and between FN, attention network, and sensorimotor network. Conclusions: There are important resting-state dFNC differences between children with FASD and TDC. Participants with FASD exhibited greater dynamic fluidity and dynamic range and spent more time in states typified by anticorrelation within and between DMN and VN, and more time in a state typified by high internetwork connectivity. Taken together, these network aberrations indicate that prenatal alcohol exposure has a global effect on resting-state connectivity.

The risk of cannabis use disorder is mediated by altered brain connectivity: A chronnectome study

“…Studies in neuropsychiatric disorders with cognitive impairments have shown conflicting results on dynamic functional connectivity, with some studies showing decreased values for all global brain dynamic indices in schizophrenia, 24 autism, 52 some forms of major neurocognitive disorder 26 and in preterm born adolescents, 53 and others showing higher values for these metrics, including Alzheimer's disease 54 and other neonatal disorders such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. 55 Consistent with these studies, we found a subtle cognitive impairment indicated by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity scales in subjects at risk for CUD. To reconcile these findings, we can hypothesize that dynamic features could be related to the subject global cognitive functioning following an inverted-U model, so that subjects with low or high dynamic indices have impaired cognition, in the first case due to the lower possibility of configuring adaptive networks, while in the second, this is due to an instability in maintaining efficient and goal-oriented networks with frequent changes between distant states.…”

“…Studies in neuropsychiatric disorders with cognitive impairments have shown conflicting results on dynamic functional connectivity, with some studies showing decreased values for all global brain dynamic indices in schizophrenia, 24 autism, 52 some forms of major neurocognitive disorder 26 and in preterm born adolescents, 53 and others showing higher values for these metrics, including Alzheimer's disease 54 and other neonatal disorders such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. 55 …”