T1-Weighted/T2-Weighted Ratio Mapping at 5 Months Captures Individual Differences in Behavioral Development and Differentiates Infants at Familial Risk for Autism from Controls

Abstract Identifying structural measures that capture early brain development and are sensitive to individual differences in behavior is a priority in developmental neuroscience, with potential implications for our understanding of both typical and atypical populations. T1-weighted/T2-weighted (T1w/T2w) ratio mapping, which previously has been linked to myelination, represents an interesting candidate measure in this respect, as an accessible measure from standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences. Yet, its value as an early infancy measure remains largely unexplored. Here, we compared T1w/T2w ratio in 5-month-old infants at familial risk (n = 27) for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to those without elevated autism risk (n = 16). We found lower T1w/T2w ratio in infants at high risk for ASD within widely distributed regions, spanning both white and gray matter. In regions differing between groups, higher T1w/T2w ratio was robustly associated with higher age at scan (range: ~ 4–6.5 months), implying sensitivity to maturation at short developmental timescales. Further, higher T1w/T2w ratio within these regions was associated with higher scores on measures of concurrent developmental level. These findings suggest that T1w/T2w ratio is a developmentally sensitive measure that should be explored further in future studies of both typical and atypical infant populations.

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The multi-component nature of statistical learning

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2016.0058 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 372 (1711) ◽

pp. 20160058 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Joanne Arciuli

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Statistical Learning ◽

Language Processing ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Future Studies ◽

Multiple Components ◽

Age Related ◽

Infancy And Childhood ◽

Central Argument ◽

Spectrum Disorders

The central argument presented in this paper is that statistical learning (SL) is an ability comprised of multiple components that operate largely implicitly. Components relating to the stimulus encoding, retention and abstraction required for SL may include, but are not limited to, certain types of attention, processing speed and memory. It is likely that individuals vary in terms of the efficiency of these underlying components, and in patterns of connectivity among these components, and that SL tasks differ from one another in how they draw on certain underlying components more than others. This theoretical framework is of value because it can assist in gaining a clearer understanding of how SL is linked with individual differences in complex mental activities such as language processing. Variability in language processing across individuals is of central concern to researchers interested in child development, including those interested in neurodevelopmental disorders where language can be affected such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This paper discusses the link between SL and individual differences in language processing in the context of age-related changes in SL during infancy and childhood, and whether SL is affected in ASD. Viewing SL as a multi-component ability may help to explain divergent findings from previous empirical research in these areas and guide the design of future studies. This article is part of the themed issue ‘New frontiers for statistical learning in the cognitive sciences’.

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Understanding Heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Methodological Shift in Neuroimaging Research From Investigating Group Differences to Individual Differences

Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging ◽

10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.04.004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (8) ◽

pp. 762-764

Author(s):

Budhachandra Khundrakpam ◽

Carola Tuerk ◽

Linda Booij

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Group Differences

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Early Diagnostics and Early Intervention in Neurodevelopmental Disorders—Age-Dependent Challenges and Opportunities

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10040861 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 861

Author(s):

Mijna Hadders-Algra

Keyword(s):

Early Intervention ◽

High Risk ◽

Early Detection ◽

Developmental Disorders ◽

Familial Risk ◽

Brain Structures ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

First Year ◽

Early Diagnostics ◽

Challenges And Opportunities

This review discusses early diagnostics and early intervention in developmental disorders in the light of brain development. The best instruments for early detection of cerebral palsy (CP) with or without intellectual disability are neonatal magnetic resonance imaging, general movements assessment at 2–4 months and from 2–4 months onwards, the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination and Standardized Infant NeuroDevelopmental Assessment. Early detection of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is difficult; its first signs emerge at the end of the first year. Prediction with the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and Infant Toddler Checklist is possible to some extent and improves during the second year, especially in children at familial risk of ASD. Thus, prediction improves substantially when transient brain structures have been replaced by permanent circuitries. At around 3 months the cortical subplate has dissolved in primary motor and sensory cortices; around 12 months the cortical subplate in prefrontal and parieto-temporal cortices and cerebellar external granular layer have disappeared. This review stresses that families are pivotal in early intervention. It summarizes evidence on the effectiveness of early intervention in medically fragile neonates, infants at low to moderate risk, infants with or at high risk of CP and with or at high risk of ASD.

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Actionable and incidental neuroradiological findings in twins with neurodevelopmental disorders

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-79959-8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lynnea Myers ◽

Mai-Lan Ho ◽

Elodie Cauvet ◽

Karl Lundin ◽

Torkel Carlsson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neurodevelopmental Disorders ◽

Copy Number Variants ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Molecular Signaling ◽

Mri Findings ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

Morphological Variants

AbstractWhile previous research has investigated neuroradiological findings in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the entire range of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) has not yet been well-studied using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Considering the overlap among NDDs and simultaneous development of the brain and face, guided by molecular signaling, we examined the relationship of actionable and incidental (non-actionable) MRI findings and NDD diagnoses together with facial morphological variants and genetic copy number variants (CNVs). A cross-sectional study was conducted with a twin cohort 8–36 years of age (57% monozygotic, 40% dizygotic), including 372 subjects (46% with NDDs; 47% female) imaged by MRI, 280 with data for facial morphological variants, and 183 for CNVs. Fifty-one percent of participants had MRI findings. Males had a statistically significantly higher percentage of MRI findings (57.7%) compared with females (43.8%, p = 0.03). Twin zygosity was not statistically significantly correlated with incidence or severity of specific MRI findings. No statistically significant association was found between MRI findings and any NDD diagnosis or facial morphological variants; however, MRI findings were statistically significantly associated with the number of CNVs (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.00–1.44, p = 0.05, adjusted OR for sex 1.24, 95% CI 1.03–1.50, p = 0.02). When combining the presence of MRI findings, facial morphological variants, and CNVs, statistically significant relationships were found with ASD and ADHD diagnoses (p = 0.0006 and p = 0.002, respectively). The results of this study demonstrate that the ability to identify NDDs from combined radiology, morphology, and CNV assessments may be possible. Additionally, twins do not appear to be at increased risk for neuroradiological variants.

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Individual Differences in Intrinsic Brain Networks Predict Symptom Severity in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhaa252 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 681-693 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Emmanuel Peng Kiat Pua ◽

Phoebe Thomson ◽

Joseph Yuan-Mou Yang ◽

Jeffrey M Craig ◽

Gareth Ball ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Face Perception ◽

Symptom Severity ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Monozygotic Twins ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Social Impairment ◽

Individual Level ◽

Spectrum Disorders

Abstract The neurobiology of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is still unknown. We hypothesized that differences in subject-level properties of intrinsic brain networks were important features that could predict individual variation in ASD symptom severity. We matched cases and controls from a large multicohort ASD dataset (ABIDE-II) on age, sex, IQ, and image acquisition site. Subjects were matched at the individual level (rather than at group level) to improve homogeneity within matched case–control pairs (ASD: n = 100, mean age = 11.43 years, IQ = 110.58; controls: n = 100, mean age = 11.43 years, IQ = 110.70). Using task-free functional magnetic resonance imaging, we extracted intrinsic functional brain networks using projective non-negative matrix factorization. Intrapair differences in strength in subnetworks related to the salience network (SN) and the occipital-temporal face perception network were robustly associated with individual differences in social impairment severity (T = 2.206, P = 0.0301). Findings were further replicated and validated in an independent validation cohort of monozygotic twins (n = 12; 3 pairs concordant and 3 pairs discordant for ASD). Individual differences in the SN and face-perception network are centrally implicated in the neural mechanisms of social deficits related to ASD.

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Promise for Finding Brain Biomarkers Among Infants at High Familial Risk for Developing Autism Spectrum Disorders

American Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.12030397 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 169 (6) ◽

pp. 551-553 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elizabeth R. Sowell ◽

Susan Y. Bookheimer

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Familial Risk ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorders

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Effectiveness of low-field magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing brachial plexus tumours in dogs – short communication

Bulletin of the Veterinary Institute in Pulawy ◽

10.1515/bvip-2015-0046 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 317-319

Author(s):

Zbigniew Adamiak ◽

Yauheni Zhalniarovich ◽

Paulina Przyborowska ◽

Joanna Głodek ◽

Adam Przeworski

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Brachial Plexus ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Gadolinium Contrast ◽

Gadolinium Contrast Agent ◽

Low Field ◽

Mri Sequences ◽

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽

Brachial Plexus Tumours

AbstractThe aim of the study was to identify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences that contribute to a quick and reliable diagnosis of brachial plexus tumours in dogs. The tumours were successfully diagnosed in 6 dogs by the MRI with the use of SE, FSE, STIR, Turbo 3 D, 3D HYCE, and GE sequences and the gadolinium contrast agent

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Early development of social attention in toddlers at high familial risk for autism spectrum disorder

Infant Behavior and Development ◽

10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101662 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 66 ◽

pp. 101662

Author(s):

Yixiao Hu ◽

Qianhan Xiong ◽

Qiandong Wang ◽

Ci Song ◽

Duo Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Early Development ◽

Familial Risk ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Social Attention ◽

Spectrum Disorder

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Infant Effortful Control Mediates Relations Between Nondirective Parenting and Internalising-Related Child Behaviours in an Autism-Enriched Infant Cohort

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ◽

10.1007/s10803-021-05219-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

C. G. Smith ◽

E. J. H. Jones ◽

S. V. Wass ◽

G. Pasco ◽

M. H. Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Early Intervention ◽

Protective Factors ◽

Effortful Control ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Behavioural Inhibition ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

Internalising Problems

AbstractInternalising problems are common within Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); early intervention to support those with emerging signs may be warranted. One promising signal lies in how individual differences in temperament are shaped by parenting. Our longitudinal study of infants with and without an older sibling with ASD investigated how parenting associates with infant behavioural inhibition (8–14 months) and later effortful control (24 months) in relation to 3-year internalising symptoms. Mediation analyses suggest nondirective parenting (8 months) was related to fewer internalising problems through an increase in effortful control. Parenting did not moderate the stable predictive relation of behavioural inhibition on later internalising. We discuss the potential for parenting to strengthen protective factors against internalising in infants from an ASD-enriched cohort.

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