Age of Speech Onset in Autism Relates to Structural Connectivity in the Language Network.

ABSTRACT: Speech onset delays (SOD) and language atypicalities are central aspects of the autism spectrum (AS), despite not being included in the categorical diagnosis of AS. Previous studies separating participants according to speech onset history have shown distinct patterns of brain organization and activation in perceptual tasks. One major white matter tract, the arcuate fasciculus (AF), connects the posterior temporal and left frontal language regions. Here, we used anatomical brain imaging to investigate the properties of the AF in adolescent and adult autistic individuals with typical levels of intelligence who differed by age of speech onset. The left AF of the AS group showed a significantly smaller volume than that of the nonautistic group. Such a reduction in volume was only present in t

SUBMITTER: Barbeau EB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8152885 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature