Atypical functional connectivity between the amygdala and visual, salience regions in infants with genetic liability for autism
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The amygdala undergoes a period of overgrowth in the first year of life, resulting in enlarged volume by 12 months in infants later diagnosed with ASD. The overgrowth of the amygdala may have functional consequences during infancy. We investigated whether amygdala connectivity differs in 12-month-olds at high likelihood (HL) for ASD (defined by having an older sibling with autism), compared to those at low likelihood (LL). We examined seed-based connectivity of left and right amygdalae, hypothesizing that the HL and LL groups would differ in amygdala connectivity, especially with the visual cortex, based on our prior reports demonstrating that components of visual circuitry develop atypically and are linked to genetic liability for autism. We found that HL infants exhibited weaker connectivity between the right amygdala and the left visual cortex, as well as between the left amygdala and the right anterior cingulate, with evidence that these patterns occur in distinct subgroups of the HL sample. Amygdala connectivity strength with the visual cortex was related to motor and communication abilities among HL infants. Findings indicate that aberrant functional connectivity between the amygdala and visual regions is apparent in infants with genetic liability for ASD and may have implications for early differences in adaptive behaviors.
Source: Cerebral Cortex
Authors: Janelle Liu, Jessica B Girault, Tomoyuki Nishino, Mark D Shen, Sun Hyung Kim, Catherine A Burrows, Jed T Elison, Natasha Marrus, Jason J Wolff, Kelly N Botteron, Annette M Estes, Stephen R Dager, Heather C Hazlett, Robert C McKinstry, Robert T Schultz, Abraham Z Snyder, Martin Styner, Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, John R Pruett Jr, Joseph Piven, Wei Gao
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Simons Foundation, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Minnesota, University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University, York University, University of Alberta, National Institutes of Health, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: G1209724685, Washington University Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, Effects of Prenatal Opiates on Infant Brain and Neurobehavioral Development, Effects of prenatal cocaine on early brain functional connectivity and behavior, Genetic Liability for Autism and Infant Brain and Behavioral Development, UNC Developmental Disabilities Research Center, NINDS CENTER CORE FOR BRAIN IMAGING, MRI Based Presymptomatic Prediction of ASD, G9000066885, Institutional Career Development Core, Postdoctoral Research in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, A Longitudinal Brain and Behavior Study of Autism From Infancy Through Adolescence, Towards equitable early identification of autism spectrum disorders in females, The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) at CHOP/Penn, 1/24 Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium, Planning Phase for the Healthy Brain and Child Development Study (HEALthy BCD) in Los Angeles County Area
OpenAlex ID: W4396593007