Autism spectrum traits in normal individuals: a preliminary VBM analysis

In light of the new DSM-5 autism spectrum disorders diagnosis in which the autism spectrum reflects a group of neurodevelopmental disorders existing on a continuum from mild to severe expression of autistic traits, and recent empirical findings showing a continuous distribution of autistic traits in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in human neuroscience 2015-05, Vol.9, p.264-264
Main Authors: Focquaert, Farah, Vanneste, Sven
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amygdala
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Behavior
continuum
Cortex (temporal)
Emotions
Empathizing
Empathy
Gender differences
Males
Morphometry
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Neuroscience
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Parahippocampal gyrus
Personality disorders
Psychiatry
Questionnaires
Social organization
Substantia grisea
Systematic review
systemizing
VBM
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Summary:In light of the new DSM-5 autism spectrum disorders diagnosis in which the autism spectrum reflects a group of neurodevelopmental disorders existing on a continuum from mild to severe expression of autistic traits, and recent empirical findings showing a continuous distribution of autistic traits in the general population, our voxel based morphometry study compares normal individuals with high autistic traits to normal individuals with low autistic traits. We hypothesize that normal individuals with high autistic traits in terms of empathizing and systemizing [high systemizing (HS)/low empathizing (LE)] share brain irregularities with individuals that fall within the clinical autism spectrum disorder. We find differences in several social brain network areas between our groups. Specifically, we find increased gray matter (GM) volume in the orbitofrontal cortex, the cuneus, the hippocampus and parahippocampus and reduced GM volume in the inferior temporal cortex, the insula, and the amygdala in our HS/LE individuals relative to our HE/LS (low autistic traits in terms of empathizing and systemizing) individuals.
ISSN:1662-5161
1662-5161
DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00264