Band-specific atypical functional connectivity pattern in childhood autism spectrum disorder.
OBJECTIVE
Altered brain connectivity has been theorized as a key neural underpinning of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but recent investigations have revealed conflicting patterns of connectivity, particularly hyper-connectivity and hypo-connectivity across age groups. The application of graph theory to neuroimaging data has become an effective approach for characterizing topographical patterns of large-scale functional networks. We used a graph approach to investigate alteration of functional networks in childhood ASD.


METHOD
Magnetoencephalographic signals were quantified using graph-theoretic metrics with a phase lag index (PLI) for specific bands in 24 children with autism spectrum disorder and 24 typically developing controls.


RESULTS
No significant group difference of PLI was found. Regarding topological organization, enhanced and reduced small-worldness, representing the efficiency of information processing, were observed respectively in ASD children, particularly in the gamma band and delta band.


CONCLUSIONS
Analyses revealed frequency-dependent atypical neural network topologies in ASD children.


SIGNIFICANCE
Our findings underscore the recently proposed atypical neural network theory of ASD during childhood. Graph theory with PLI applied to magnetoencephalographic signals might be a useful approach for characterizing the frequency-specific neurophysiological bases of ASD.
['Takahashi|Tetsuya|T|', 'Yamanishi|Teruya|T|', 'Nobukawa|Sou|S|', 'Kasakawa|Shinya|S|', 'Yoshimura|Yuko|Y|', 'Hiraishi|Hirotoshi|H|', 'Hasegawa|Chiaki|C|', 'Ikeda|Takashi|T|', 'Hirosawa|Tetsu|T|', 'Munesue|Toshio|T|', 'Higashida|Haruhiro|H|', 'Minabe|Yoshio|Y|', 'Kikuchi|Mitsuru|M|']
D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder D001921:Brain D058256:Brain Waves D002648:Child D002675:Child, Preschool D005260:Female D006801:Humans D015225:Magnetoencephalography D008297:Male D009415:Nerve Net D010775:Photic Stimulation
Childhood Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) Graph theory Functional network Phase lag index (PLI) Magnetoencephalography (MEG)