Altered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging study
Previous studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter (WM) structural connectivity have suggested widespread, although inconsistent WM alterations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as greater reductions in fractional anisotropy (FA). However, findings may lack gener...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2019
|
| _version_ | 1797112628363919360 |
|---|---|
| author | Lei, J Lecarie, E Jurayj, J Boland, S Sukhodolsky, DG Ventola, P Pelphrey, KA Jou, RJ |
| author_facet | Lei, J Lecarie, E Jurayj, J Boland, S Sukhodolsky, DG Ventola, P Pelphrey, KA Jou, RJ |
| author_sort | Lei, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Previous studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter (WM) structural connectivity have suggested widespread, although inconsistent WM alterations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as greater reductions in fractional anisotropy (FA). However, findings may lack generalizability because: (a) most have focused solely on the ASD male brain phenotype, and not sex-differences in WM integrity; (b) many lack stringent and transparent data quality control such as controlling for head motion in analysis. This study addressed both issues by using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) to separately compare WM differences in 81 ASD (56 male, 25 female; 4–21 years old) and 39 typically developing (TD; 23 males, 16 females; 5–18 years old) children and young people, carefully group-matched on sex, age, cognitive abilities, and head motion. ASD males and females were also matched on autism symptom severity. Two independent-raters completed a multistep scan quality assurance to remove images that were significantly distorted by motion artifacts before analysis. ASD females exhibited significant widespread reductions in FA compared to TD females, suggesting altered WM integrity. In contrast, no significant localized or widespread WM differences were found between ASD and TD males. This study highlights the importance of data quality control in DTI, and outlines important sex-differences in WM alterations in ASD females. Future studies can explore the extent to which neural structural differences might underlie sex-differences in ASD behavioral phenotype, and guide clinical interventions to be tailored toward the unique needs of ASD females and males. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:26:44Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:c74bb21d-e4b6-41d4-bda0-77961b5e3d29 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T08:26:44Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:c74bb21d-e4b6-41d4-bda0-77961b5e3d292024-02-20T11:24:19ZAltered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging studyJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:c74bb21d-e4b6-41d4-bda0-77961b5e3d29EnglishSymplectic ElementsWiley2019Lei, JLecarie, EJurayj, JBoland, SSukhodolsky, DGVentola, PPelphrey, KAJou, RJPrevious studies using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter (WM) structural connectivity have suggested widespread, although inconsistent WM alterations in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as greater reductions in fractional anisotropy (FA). However, findings may lack generalizability because: (a) most have focused solely on the ASD male brain phenotype, and not sex-differences in WM integrity; (b) many lack stringent and transparent data quality control such as controlling for head motion in analysis. This study addressed both issues by using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) to separately compare WM differences in 81 ASD (56 male, 25 female; 4–21 years old) and 39 typically developing (TD; 23 males, 16 females; 5–18 years old) children and young people, carefully group-matched on sex, age, cognitive abilities, and head motion. ASD males and females were also matched on autism symptom severity. Two independent-raters completed a multistep scan quality assurance to remove images that were significantly distorted by motion artifacts before analysis. ASD females exhibited significant widespread reductions in FA compared to TD females, suggesting altered WM integrity. In contrast, no significant localized or widespread WM differences were found between ASD and TD males. This study highlights the importance of data quality control in DTI, and outlines important sex-differences in WM alterations in ASD females. Future studies can explore the extent to which neural structural differences might underlie sex-differences in ASD behavioral phenotype, and guide clinical interventions to be tailored toward the unique needs of ASD females and males. |
| spellingShingle | Lei, J Lecarie, E Jurayj, J Boland, S Sukhodolsky, DG Ventola, P Pelphrey, KA Jou, RJ Altered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging study |
| title | Altered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging study |
| title_full | Altered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging study |
| title_fullStr | Altered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Altered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging study |
| title_short | Altered neural connectivity in females, but not males with autism: preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality-controlled diffusion tensor imaging study |
| title_sort | altered neural connectivity in females but not males with autism preliminary evidence for the female protective effect from a quality controlled diffusion tensor imaging study |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leij alteredneuralconnectivityinfemalesbutnotmaleswithautismpreliminaryevidenceforthefemaleprotectiveeffectfromaqualitycontrolleddiffusiontensorimagingstudy AT lecariee alteredneuralconnectivityinfemalesbutnotmaleswithautismpreliminaryevidenceforthefemaleprotectiveeffectfromaqualitycontrolleddiffusiontensorimagingstudy AT jurayjj alteredneuralconnectivityinfemalesbutnotmaleswithautismpreliminaryevidenceforthefemaleprotectiveeffectfromaqualitycontrolleddiffusiontensorimagingstudy AT bolands alteredneuralconnectivityinfemalesbutnotmaleswithautismpreliminaryevidenceforthefemaleprotectiveeffectfromaqualitycontrolleddiffusiontensorimagingstudy AT sukhodolskydg alteredneuralconnectivityinfemalesbutnotmaleswithautismpreliminaryevidenceforthefemaleprotectiveeffectfromaqualitycontrolleddiffusiontensorimagingstudy AT ventolap alteredneuralconnectivityinfemalesbutnotmaleswithautismpreliminaryevidenceforthefemaleprotectiveeffectfromaqualitycontrolleddiffusiontensorimagingstudy AT pelphreyka alteredneuralconnectivityinfemalesbutnotmaleswithautismpreliminaryevidenceforthefemaleprotectiveeffectfromaqualitycontrolleddiffusiontensorimagingstudy AT jourj alteredneuralconnectivityinfemalesbutnotmaleswithautismpreliminaryevidenceforthefemaleprotectiveeffectfromaqualitycontrolleddiffusiontensorimagingstudy |