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ABSTRACT: Background
Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs), detectable by 12 months in many infants in whom autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is later diagnosed, may represent some of the earliest behavioral markers of ASD. However, brain function underlying the emergence of these key behaviors remains unknown.Methods
Behavioral and resting-state functional connectivity (fc) magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 167 children at high and low familial risk for ASD at 12 and 24 months (n = 38 at both time points). Twenty infants met criteria for ASD at 24 months. We divided RRBs into four subcategories (restricted, stereotyped, ritualistic/sameness, self-injurious) and used a data-driven approach to identify functional brain networks associated with the development of each RRB subcategory.Results
Higher scores for ritualistic/sameness behavior were associated with less positive fc between visual and control networks at 12 and 24 months. Ritualistic/sameness and stereotyped behaviors were associated with less positive fc between visual and default mode networks at 12 months. At 24 months, stereotyped and restricted behaviors were associated with more positive fc between default mode and control networks. Additionally, at 24 months, stereotyped behavior was associated with more positive fc between dorsal attention and subcortical networks, whereas restricted behavior was associated with more positive fc between default mode and dorsal attention networks. No significant network-level associations were observed for self-injurious behavior.Conclusions
These observations mark the earliest known description of functional brain systems underlying RRBs, reinforce the construct validity of RRB subcategories in infants, and implicate specific neural substrates for future interventions targeting RRBs.
SUBMITTER: McKinnon CJ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6557405 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
McKinnon Claire J CJ Eggebrecht Adam T AT Todorov Alexandre A Wolff Jason J JJ Elison Jed T JT Adams Chloe M CM Snyder Abraham Z AZ Estes Annette M AM Zwaigenbaum Lonnie L Botteron Kelly N KN McKinstry Robert C RC Marrus Natasha N Evans Alan A Hazlett Heather C HC Dager Stephen R SR Paterson Sarah J SJ Pandey Juhi J Schultz Robert T RT Styner Martin A MA Gerig Guido G Schlaggar Bradley L BL Petersen Steven E SE Piven Joseph J Pruett John R JR
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging 20181002 1
<h4>Background</h4>Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs), detectable by 12 months in many infants in whom autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is later diagnosed, may represent some of the earliest behavioral markers of ASD. However, brain function underlying the emergence of these key behaviors remains unknown.<h4>Methods</h4>Behavioral and resting-state functional connectivity (fc) magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 167 children at high and low familial risk for ASD at 12 and 2 ...[more]