Developmental changes in neuromagnetic rhythms and network synchrony in autism

• Published in: Annals of neurology Vol. 81; no. 2; pp. 199 - 211
• Main Authors: Vakorin, Vasily A., Doesburg, Sam M., Leung, Rachel C., Vogan, Vanessa M., Anagnostou, Evdokia, Taylor, Margot J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.02.2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Age; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - physiopathology; Brain; Cerebellum; Cerebellum - physiopathology; Child; Children; Connectome; Cortex (frontal); Cross-Sectional Studies; Data processing; Diagnostic systems; Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization - physiology; Female; Frequency ranges; Frontal Lobe - physiopathology; Group dynamics; Humans; Information processing; Magnetoencephalography; Magnetoencephalography - methods; Male; Nerve Net - physiopathology; Neural networks; Oscillations
• ISSN: 0364-5134; 1531-8249
• DOI: 10.1002/ana.24836

Objective There is gathering consensus that altered connectivity is a hallmark of the autistic brain. This includes atypical neural oscillations and their coordination across brain regions, which are understood to mediate information processing and integration. It remains unclear whether and how connectivity in various neurophysiological frequency ranges develops atypically in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods To address this in a cross‐sectional sample, we recorded resting‐state magnetoencephalography from 134 children and adolescents with and without ASD, and calculated resting spectral power and inter‐regional synchrony (functional connectivity). Results Although no overall group differences were observed, significant alterations in linear and nonlinear age‐related changes in resting oscillatory power and network synchrony were found. These differences were frequency‐ and region‐specific and implicated brain systems thought to play a prominent role in ASD, such as the frontal cortex and cerebellum. We also found correlations between Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule scores and the degree to which connectivity in cerebellar networks is “idiosyncratic” in an individual with autism. Interpretation We provide the first evidence that it is the curvatures of maturational changes in neurophysiological oscillations and synchrony, rather than disturbances in a particular direction, that characterize the brain function in individuals with ASD. Moreover, the patterns of idiosyncratic distortions of network synchrony relative to the group curve are associated with behavioral symptoms of ASD. Ann Neurol 2017;81:199–211