Functional Connectivity of the Caudal Anterior Cingulate Cortex Is Decreased in Autism

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is frequently reported to have functionally distinct sub-regions that play key roles in different intrinsic networks. However, the contribution of the ACC, which is connected to several cortical areas and the limbic system, to autism is not clearly understood, alt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2016-03, Vol.11 (3), p.e0151879-e0151879
Main Authors: Zhou, Yuanyue, Shi, Lijuan, Cui, Xilong, Wang, Suhong, Luo, Xuerong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abnormalities
Adolescent
Adult
Autism
Autistic Disorder - physiopathology
Biology and Life Sciences
Brain
Brain Mapping
Cerebral cortex
Child
Child & adolescent psychiatry
Cortex (cingulate)
Cortex (temporal)
Data exchange
Development and progression
Female
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Gyrus Cinguli - physiopathology
Hospitals
Humans
Limbic system
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Medical imaging
Medicine and Health Sciences
Mental disorders
Mental health
Middle Aged
Nerve Net - physiopathology
Neuropathology
Neurosciences
NMR
Nuclear magnetic resonance
Operculum
Physiological aspects
Postcentral gyrus
Research and Analysis Methods
Social Sciences
Studies
Superior temporal gyrus
temporal gyrus
Young Adult
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Summary:The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is frequently reported to have functionally distinct sub-regions that play key roles in different intrinsic networks. However, the contribution of the ACC, which is connected to several cortical areas and the limbic system, to autism is not clearly understood, although it may be involved in dysfunctions across several distinct but related functional domains. By comparing resting-state fMRI data from persons with autism and healthy controls, we sought to identify the abnormalities in the functional connectivity (FC) of ACC sub-regions in autism. The analyses found autism-related reductions in FC between the left caudal ACC and the right rolandic operculum, insula, postcentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, and the middle temporal gyrus. The FC (z-scores) between the left caudal ACC and the right insula was negatively correlated with the Stereotyped Behaviors and Restricted Interests scores of the autism group. These findings suggest that the caudal ACC is recruited selectively in the pathomechanism of autism.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0151879