On development of functional brain connectivity in the young brain

Hoff, G. E.Anna Jasmijn; Heuvel, Martijn P. van den; Benders, Manon J. N. L.; Kersbergen, Karina J.; Vries, Linda S. de

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00650

Cited by 85 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…A possible interpretation of these findings could be that autistic trait related connectivity changes in the DMN emerge later in development, maybe as a result of relatively late DMN maturation. 60 Since neither IQ nor gender (see Supplementary Table 2) differed between groups, differences between agegroups are unlikely to be driven by these factors. It needs to be pointed out that the adolescent group showed lower mean autistic traits compared to the child group.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alterations in resting state connectivity along the autism trait continuum: a twin study

et al. 2017

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been found to be associated with alterations in resting state (RS) functional connectivity, including areas forming the default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN). However, insufficient control for confounding genetic and environmental influences and other methodological issues limit the generalizability of previous findings. Moreover, it has been hypothesized that ASD might be marked by early hyper-connectivity followed by later hypo-connectivity. To date, only a few studies have explicitly tested age-related influences on RS connectivity alterations in ASD. Using a within-twin pair design (N = 150 twins; 8-23 years), we examined altered RS connectivity between core regions of the DMN and SN in relation to autistic trait severity and age in a sample of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins showing typical development, ASD or other neurodevelopmental conditions. Connectivity between core regions of the SN was stronger in twins with higher autistic traits compared to their co-twins. This effect was significant both in the total sample and in MZ twins alone, highlighting the effect of non-shared environmental factors on the link between SN-connectivity and autistic traits. While this link was strongest in children, we did not identify differences between age groups for the SN. In contrast, connectivity between core hubs of the DMN was negatively correlated with autistic traits in adolescents and showed a similar trend in adults but not in children. The results support hypotheses of age-dependent altered RS connectivity in ASD, making altered SN and DMN connectivity promising candidate biomarkers for ASD.Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication, 1 August 2017; doi:10.1038/mp.2017.160 INTRODUCTION Altered patterns of brain connectivity have been suggested as a key neurobiological correlate of the behavioral characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, as findings are inconsistent, the precise brain connectivity characteristics of ASD remain unclear. A large number of resting-state (RS) functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain connectivity studies have shown a complex pattern of both hypo-and hyper-connectivity in ASD.1-3 Notably, a large multi-site classification study including ASD and typically developing individuals (N = 252, 6-36 years) showed that of the top 100 biomarkers of brain connectivity achieving together 90.8% accuracy, 45% were related to hyperconnectivity and the remaining 55% to hypo-connectivity. 4 It is likely that the observed inconsistencies in classical brain connectivity investigations are limited by methodological issues, such as insufficient control for head motion or the inclusion of global signal regression which can modulate or even invert the direction of functional connectivity differences. [5][6][7] Moreover, gender has recently been shown to modulate the direction of connectivity differences in ASD. 8 In contrast, another study found default mode network (DMN) hypo-connectivity in both genders.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alterations in resting state connectivity along the autism trait continuum: a twin study

et al. 2017

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“…In neurotypical individuals, rs-fcMRI studies have identified multiple, widely replicated brain networks (for a review of resting state networks present in early development, see Hoff et al, 2013, andvan den Heuvel andHulshoff Pol, 2010 for a review of findings in adults). Here we will focus on networks implicated in ASD etiology.…”

Section: Resting State Connectivity Fmrimentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Signatures of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Insights into Brain Network Dynamics

Hernandez

Rudie

Green

et al. 2014

Neuropsychopharmacol

115

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Neuroimaging investigations of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have advanced our understanding of atypical brain function and structure, and have recently converged on a model of altered network-level connectivity. Traditional task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and volume-based structural MRI studies have identified widespread atypicalities in brain regions involved in social behavior and other core ASD-related behavioral deficits. More recent advances in MR-neuroimaging methods allow for quantification of brain connectivity using diffusion tensor imaging, functional connectivity, and graph theoretic methods. These newer techniques have moved the field toward a systems-level understanding of ASD etiology, integrating functional and structural measures across distal brain regions. Neuroimaging findings in ASD as a whole have been mixed and at times contradictory, likely due to the vast genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity characteristic of the disorder. Future longitudinal studies of brain development will be crucial to yield insights into mechanisms of disease etiology in ASD sub-populations. Advances in neuroimaging methods and large-scale collaborations will also allow for an integrated approach linking neuroimaging, genetics, and phenotypic data.

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“…Certain brain regions exhibit similarities in their resting state fluctuations (65). Resting state fMR imaging techniques are now used in a wide variety of applications ranging from normal aging (66) to Alzheimer disease (67). The term resting state should be replaced by functional connectivity (fc) because a resting state of the brain is difficult to define.…”

Section: Pet/mr Imaging As a Research Tool In Neurologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Preclinical and Translational PET/MR Imaging

et al. 2014

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Combined PET and MR imaging (PET/MR imaging) has progressed tremendously in recent years. The focus of current research has shifted from technologic challenges to the application of this new multimodal imaging technology in the areas of oncology, cardiology, neurology, and infectious diseases. This article reviews studies in preclinical and clinical translation. The common theme of these initial results is the complementary nature of combined PET/MR imaging that often provides additional insights into biologic systems that were not clearly feasible with just one modality alone. However, in vivo findings require ex vivo validation. Combined PET/MR imaging also triggers a multitude of new developments in image analysis that are aimed at merging and using multimodal information that ranges from better tumor characterization to analysis of metabolic brain networks. The combination of connectomics information that maps brain networks derived from multiparametric MR data with metabolic information from PET can even lead to the formation of a new research field that we would call cometomics that would map functional and metabolic brain networks. These new methodologic developments also call for more multidisciplinarity in the field of molecular imaging, in which close interaction and training among clinicians and a variety of scientists is needed. Mol ecular imaging of small animals for biomedical research is an emerging field (1). It penetrates successfully into areas that are historically dominated by ex vivo molecular biology methods and therefore bears an enormous potential. Exploiting the full range of options of noninvasive visualization and quantification of metabolism, disease-specific dysfunction, therapy response, and cell trafficking requires that specific biomarkers yield information about molecular and functional processes as well as morphologic details. Single-modality imaging, such as stand-alone PET, SPECT, MR imaging, CT, or ultrasound, is often unable to provide the desired comprehensive information. Dedicated small-animal PET/CT and SPECT/CT scanners have been well received in the biomedical imaging sciences and have set the stage for a new combined imaging modality, PET/MR imaging, which has been introduced and successfully applied in biomedical studies (2,3). PET and MR imaging are both distinct modalities offering great versatility for advanced imaging applications in various fields of biomedicine. The combination of these two modalities into a single device merges functional and morphologic information from MR imaging with molecular PET data. The strength of PET lies in its high detection sensitivity and accurate quantification, but PET lacks good spatial resolution and tissue contrast. MR imaging, however, enables highresolution imaging of morphology with good soft-tissue contrast, detects endogenous metabolite distributions using spectroscopy, and allows dynamic acquisition of tissue perfusion and additional functional parameters (4).Thus, PET/MR imaging paves the way for noninvasive imaging to...

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On development of functional brain connectivity in the young brain

Cited by 85 publications

References 69 publications

Alterations in resting state connectivity along the autism trait continuum: a twin study

Alterations in resting state connectivity along the autism trait continuum: a twin study

Neural Signatures of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Insights into Brain Network Dynamics

Preclinical and Translational PET/MR Imaging

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