The Impaired Subcortical Pathway From Superior Colliculus to the Amygdala in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder
ObjectiveIncreasing evidence suggests that a subcortical pathway from the superior colliculus (SC) through the pulvinar to the amygdala plays a crucial role in mediating non-conscious processing in response to emotional visual stimuli. Given the atypical eye gaze and response patterns to visual affe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2022.666439/full |
| _version_ | 1828729855663931392 |
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| author | Yiting Huang Yiting Huang Mark Vangel Helen Chen Maya Eshel Ming Cheng Tao Lu Jian Kong |
| author_facet | Yiting Huang Yiting Huang Mark Vangel Helen Chen Maya Eshel Ming Cheng Tao Lu Jian Kong |
| author_sort | Yiting Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectiveIncreasing evidence suggests that a subcortical pathway from the superior colliculus (SC) through the pulvinar to the amygdala plays a crucial role in mediating non-conscious processing in response to emotional visual stimuli. Given the atypical eye gaze and response patterns to visual affective stimuli in autism, we examined the functional and white matter structural difference of the pathway in boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) boys.MethodsA total of 38 boys with ASD and 38 TD boys were included. We reconstructed the SC-pulvinar-amygdala pathway in boys with ASD and TD using tractography and analyzed tract-specific measurements to compare the white matter difference between the two groups. A region of interest-based functional analysis was also applied among the key nodes of the pathway to explore the functional connectivity network.ResultsDiffusion tensor imaging analysis showed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in pathways for boys with ASD compared to TD. The FA change was significantly associated with the atypical communication pattern in boys with ASD. In addition, compared to TD, we found that the ASD group was associated with increased functional connectivity between the right pulvinar and the left SC.ConclusionOur results indicated that the functional and white matter microstructure of the subcortical route to the amygdala might be altered in individuals with autism. This atypical structural change of the SC-pulvinar-amygdala pathway may be related to the abnormal communication patterns in boys with ASD. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T14:39:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a4859cfda510420e852aeff581c14aa7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5145 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T14:39:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-a4859cfda510420e852aeff581c14aa72022-12-22T03:28:58ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience1662-51452022-06-011610.3389/fnint.2022.666439666439The Impaired Subcortical Pathway From Superior Colliculus to the Amygdala in Boys With Autism Spectrum DisorderYiting Huang0Yiting Huang1Mark Vangel2Helen Chen3Maya Eshel4Ming Cheng5Tao Lu6Jian Kong7School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United StatesDepartment of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United StatesSchool of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, ChinaDepartment of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United StatesObjectiveIncreasing evidence suggests that a subcortical pathway from the superior colliculus (SC) through the pulvinar to the amygdala plays a crucial role in mediating non-conscious processing in response to emotional visual stimuli. Given the atypical eye gaze and response patterns to visual affective stimuli in autism, we examined the functional and white matter structural difference of the pathway in boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) boys.MethodsA total of 38 boys with ASD and 38 TD boys were included. We reconstructed the SC-pulvinar-amygdala pathway in boys with ASD and TD using tractography and analyzed tract-specific measurements to compare the white matter difference between the two groups. A region of interest-based functional analysis was also applied among the key nodes of the pathway to explore the functional connectivity network.ResultsDiffusion tensor imaging analysis showed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in pathways for boys with ASD compared to TD. The FA change was significantly associated with the atypical communication pattern in boys with ASD. In addition, compared to TD, we found that the ASD group was associated with increased functional connectivity between the right pulvinar and the left SC.ConclusionOur results indicated that the functional and white matter microstructure of the subcortical route to the amygdala might be altered in individuals with autism. This atypical structural change of the SC-pulvinar-amygdala pathway may be related to the abnormal communication patterns in boys with ASD.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2022.666439/fullautism spectrum disorderfMRIDTIamygdalaSCpulvinar |
| spellingShingle | Yiting Huang Yiting Huang Mark Vangel Helen Chen Maya Eshel Ming Cheng Tao Lu Jian Kong The Impaired Subcortical Pathway From Superior Colliculus to the Amygdala in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience autism spectrum disorder fMRI DTI amygdala SC pulvinar |
| title | The Impaired Subcortical Pathway From Superior Colliculus to the Amygdala in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_full | The Impaired Subcortical Pathway From Superior Colliculus to the Amygdala in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_fullStr | The Impaired Subcortical Pathway From Superior Colliculus to the Amygdala in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impaired Subcortical Pathway From Superior Colliculus to the Amygdala in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_short | The Impaired Subcortical Pathway From Superior Colliculus to the Amygdala in Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| title_sort | impaired subcortical pathway from superior colliculus to the amygdala in boys with autism spectrum disorder |
| topic | autism spectrum disorder fMRI DTI amygdala SC pulvinar |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2022.666439/full |
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