Research On Characteristics Of The Executive Control Network And The Temporal Dynamic Spontaneous Brain Activities In Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorder

ObjectivesThis study aimed to explore the characteristics of the executive control network and the temporal dynamic of spontaneous brain activities in autistic patient aged 6-17 years old and to investigate its correlation with executive function and symptom severity.Methods1.ASD children aged 6 to 17 meeting the criteria of DSM-5(Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental illness-5)and age-matched typically develoing(TD)boys were all administered WISC-IV(Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children,the fourth edition,Chinese version),and parents of ASD were interviewed by questionnaires to evaluate the comorbidity and clinical syptoms.The ASD group was divided into two groups by age:children aged 6 to 11 and adolescents aged 12-17.2.Resting-state f MRI was collected to investigate the values of Re Ho,ALFF and FC(functional connectivity)of the executive control network.Analysis the correlation between the brain activities with executive function and symptoms.The effect of age is also investigated.3.Resting state f MRI was also collected to investigate the static and dynamic reho、f ALFF and its correlation with symptoms.ResultsPart I The characteristics of the executive control network in ASD1.The local activities in right DLPFC and right PPC region were lowered in ASD children than in control group.The local activies of the executive control network increased in ASD adolescents.2.The value of ALFF/Re Ho in right DLPFC was correlated with decoding score and set shifting evaluated by Brief and symptoms valued by ABC.The local activity in left DLPFC region was correlated with processing speed and the dimension of working memory and planned organization valued by Brief.3.The main effect analysis of functional connectivity showed increased and decreased value at the same time.The functional connection between fronal and the parietal lobe was negatively correlated with the score of ABC’s motion dimension,and the functional connection between LDLPFC and the right insula was negatively correlated with decoding.4.The local activities of executive control network in ASD children were increasing with age while the functional connectivities were decreasing with age.ASD children have abnormal age-related developmental pattern.Part II The characteristics of the temporal dynamic spontaneous brain activities in ASD1.Compared with TD,lowered value of Re Ho was detected in left insuyla while lowered value of f ALFF was detected in right precuneus and right middle frontal gyrus.2.Compared with TD,lowered value of dynamic Re Ho and f ALFF could be both detected in superior temporal gyrus,insula and precuneus.Lowered dynamic f ALFF was also detected in cerebellum,inferior parietal gyrus,middle frontal gyruns and hippocampus.3.Dynamic f ALFF was correlated with ABC’s social dimension,related brain areas are mainly located in the superior temporal gyrus and the anterior cingulate gyrus.ConclusionsASD children have deficits in clinical symptoms and executive function.The local activities and functional connectivities of ECN were abnormal in ASD children,and were obviously correlated with clinical symptoms and executive function.The local activities of executive control network in ASD children were increasing with age while the functional connectivities were decreasing with age.ASD children have abnormal age-related developmental pattern.Studies on brain spontaneous activity in the resting state of the whole brain and in the time-domain dynamic state indicate that the brain regions with reduced activity in the time-domain dynamic state are more extensive,and the abnormal time-domain dynamic state is related to the severity of ASD symptoms.