scholarly journals Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder With Functional Graph Discriminative Network

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingcong Li ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
Jiahui Pan ◽  
Zhenfu Wen
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Graph Representation ◽  
Restricted Interests ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Functional Graph ◽  
Communication Impairments

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a specific brain disease that causes communication impairments and restricted interests. Functional connectivity analysis methodology is widely used in neuroscience research and shows much potential in discriminating ASD patients from healthy controls. However, due to heterogeneity of ASD patients, the performance of conventional functional connectivity classification methods is relatively poor. Graph neural network is an effective graph representation method to model structured data like functional connectivity. In this paper, we proposed a functional graph discriminative network (FGDN) for ASD classification. On the basis of pre-built graph templates, the proposed FGDN is able to effectively distinguish ASD patient from health controls. Moreover, we studied the size of training set for effective training, inter-site predictions, and discriminative brain regions. Discriminative brain regions were determined by the proposed model to investigate its applicability and biomarkers for ASD identification. For functional connectivity classification and analysis, FGDN is not only an effective tool for ASD identification but also a potential technique in neuroscience research.

scholarly journals Sex-dependent and sex-independent brain resting-state functional connectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Di ◽  
Bharat B Biswal
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Main Effects

Background: Males are more likely to suffer from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than females. As to whether females with ASD have similar brain alterations remain an open question. The current study aimed to examine sex-dependent as well as sex-independent alterations in resting-state functional connectivity in individuals with ASD compared with typically developing (TD) individuals. Method: Resting-state functional MRI data were acquired from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE). Subjects between 6 to 20 years of age were included for analysis. After matching the intelligence quotient between groups for each dataset, and removing subjects due to excessive head motion, the resulting effective sample contained 28 females with ASD, 49 TD females, 129 males with ASD, and 141 TD males, with a two (diagnosis) by two (sex) design. Functional connectivity among 153 regions of interest (ROIs) comprising the whole brain was computed. Two by two analysis of variance was used to identify connectivity that showed diagnosis by sex interaction or main effects of diagnosis. Results: The main effects of diagnosis were found mainly between visual cortex and other brain regions, indicating sex-independent connectivity alterations. We also observed two connections whose connectivity showed diagnosis by sex interaction between the precuneus and medial cerebellum as well as the precunes and dorsal frontal cortex. While males with ASD showed higher connectivity in these connections compared with TD males, females with ASD had lower connectivity than their counterparts. Conclusions: Both sex-dependent and sex-independent functional connectivity alterations are present in ASD.

scholarly journals An Autism Spectrum Disorder Adaptive Identification Based on the Elimination of Brain Connections: A Proof of Long-Range Underconnectivity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima zahra Benabdallah ◽  
Ahmed Drissi El Maliani ◽  
Dounia Lotfi ◽  
Rachid Jennane ◽  
Mohammed El hassouni
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Data Exchange ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Brain Imaging Data

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is theoretically characterized by alterations in functional connectivity between brain regions. Many works presented approaches to determine informative patterns that help to predict autism from typical development. However, most of the proposed pipelines are not specifically designed for the autism problem, i.e they do not corroborate with autism theories about functional connectivity. In this paper, we propose a framework that takes into account the properties of local connectivity and long range under-connectivity in the autistic brain. The originality of the proposed approach is to adopt elimination as a technique in order to well emerge the autistic brain connectivity alterations, and show how they contribute to differentiate ASD from controls. Experimental results conducted on the large multi-site Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) show that our approach provides accurate prediction up to 70% and succeeds to prove the existence of deficits in the long-range connectivity in the ASD subjects brains.

scholarly journals Constructing high-order functional connectivity network based on central moment features for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11692
Author(s):  
Qingsong Xie ◽  
Xiangfei Zhang ◽  
Islem Rekik ◽  
Xiaobo Chen ◽  
Ning Mao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Central Moment ◽  
High Order ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Moment Feature

The sliding-window-based dynamic functional connectivity network (D-FCN) has been becoming an increasingly useful tool for understanding the changes of brain connectivity patterns and the association of neurological diseases with these dynamic variations. However, conventional D-FCN is essentially low-order network, which only reflects the pairwise interaction pattern between brain regions and thus overlooking the high-order interactions among multiple brain regions. In addition, D-FCN is innate with temporal sensitivity issue, i.e., D-FCN is sensitive to the chronological order of its subnetworks. To deal with the above issues, we propose a novel high-order functional connectivity network framework based on the central moment feature of D-FCN. Specifically, we firstly adopt a central moment approach to extract multiple central moment feature matrices from D-FCN. Furthermore, we regard the matrices as the profiles to build multiple high-order functional connectivity networks which further capture the higher level and more complex interaction relationships among multiple brain regions. Finally, we use the voting strategy to combine the high-order networks with D-FCN for autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Experimental results show that the combination of multiple functional connectivity networks achieves accuracy of 88.06%, and the best single network achieves accuracy of 79.5%.

scholarly journals Functional connectivity-based subtypes of individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda K. Easson ◽  
Zainab Fatima ◽  
Anthony R. McIntosh
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
The Other ◽  
Repetitive Behaviours ◽  
Subtype A

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by impairments in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviours. Neuroimaging studies have shown complex patterns of functional connectivity (FC) in ASD, with no clear consensus on brain-behaviour relationships or shared patterns of FC with typically developing controls. Here, we used k-means clustering and multivariate statistical analyses to characterize distinct FC patterns and FC-behaviour relationships in participants with and without ASD. Two FC subtypes were identified by the clustering analysis. One subtype was defined by increased FC within resting-state networks and decreased FC across networks compared to the other subtype. A separate FC pattern distinguished ASD from controls, particularly within default mode, cingulo-opercular, sensorimotor, and occipital networks. There was no significant interaction between subtypes and diagnostic groups. Finally, analysis of FC patterns with behavioural measures of IQ, social responsiveness and ASD severity showed unique brain-behaviour relations in each subtype, and a continuum of brain-behavior relations from ASD to controls within one subtype. These results demonstrate that distinct clusters of FC patterns exist in both ASD and controls, and that FC subtypes can reveal unique information about brain-behaviour relationships.Author SummaryAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, with high variation in the types of severity of impairments in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviours. Neuroimaging studies have shown complex patterns of communication between brain regions, or functional connectivity (FC), in ASD. Here, we defined two distinct FC patterns and relationships between FC and behaviour in participants with and without ASD. One subtype was defined by increased FC within distinct networks of brain regions, and decreased FC between networks compared to the other subtype. A separate FC pattern distinguished ASD from controls. The interaction between subtypes and diagnostic groups was not significant. Analysis of FC patterns with behavioural measures revealed unique information about brain-behaviour relations in each subtype.

Specialized Diet Therapies: Exploration for Improving Behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (40) ◽  
pp. 6771-6786
Author(s):  
Geir Bjørklund ◽  
Nagwa Abdel Meguid ◽  
Maryam Dadar ◽  
Lyudmila Pivina ◽  
Joanna Kałużna-Czaplińska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Caloric Intake ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Nutritional Deficiencies ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Restricted Interests ◽  
Balanced Diet ◽  
The Individual

As a major neurodevelopmental disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses deficits in communication and repetitive and restricted interests or behaviors in childhood and adolescence. Its etiology may come from either a genetic, epigenetic, neurological, hormonal, or an environmental cause, generating pathways that often altogether play a synergistic role in the development of ASD pathogenesis. Furthermore, the metabolic origin of ASD should be important as well. A balanced diet consisting of the essential and special nutrients, alongside the recommended caloric intake, is highly recommended to promote growth and development that withstand the physiologic and behavioral challenges experienced by ASD children. In this review paper, we evaluated many studies that show a relationship between ASD and diet to develop a better understanding of the specific effects of the overall diet and the individual nutrients required for this population. This review will add a comprehensive update of knowledge in the field and shed light on the possible nutritional deficiencies, metabolic impairments (particularly in the gut microbiome), and malnutrition in individuals with ASD, which should be recognized in order to maintain the improved socio-behavioral habit and physical health.

Revisiting an RCT study of a parent education program for Latinx parents in the United States: Are treatment effects maintained over time?

Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132110331
Author(s):  
Weiwen Zeng ◽  
Sandy Magaña ◽  
Kristina Lopez ◽  
Yue Xu ◽  
J Marisol Marroquín
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Parent Education ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Child Outcomes ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Communication Impairments ◽  
Parent Education Program

This study examined maintenance of treatment effects in a culturally tailored parent education program for Latinx families of children with autism spectrum disorder using a behavior maintenance framework. In a two-site randomized waitlist-control study, we compared differences in parent and child outcomes across three timepoints using linear mixed models to determine whether outcomes observed at 4 months after baseline (Time 2) were maintained for an additional 4-month period (Time 3). Parent outcomes included family empowerment, self-reported confidence in, and frequency of using evidence-based strategies. Child outcomes included parent-reported challenging behaviors, social communication impairments, and the number of services received. Participants were 109 Latina mothers (intervention = 54, control = 55) of children with autism spectrum disorder. Results showed that at Time 3, mothers in the intervention groups reported significantly greater confidence in and frequency of using evidence-based strategies, and that their child received significantly more services. Site-specific treatment differences were found in outcomes such as parent-reported empowerment and child social communication impairments. Findings suggest that the intervention for Latinx parents of children with autism spectrum disorder was efficacious and could be maintained, and that site-specific policy and service differences may need to be examined in future research to inform dissemination and implementation. Lay abstract Background: We conducted a follow-up investigation of a two-site randomized controlled trial in the United States. We examined whether the treatment effects in a culturally tailored parent education program for Latinx families of children with autism spectrum disorder were maintained over time. Methods: Using linear mixed models, we compared differences in parent and child outcomes across three timepoints: baseline, 4 months after baseline (Time 2), and 8 months after baseline (T3). Parent outcomes included family empowerment, self-reported confidence in, and frequency of using evidence-based strategies. Child outcomes included parent-reported challenging behaviors, social communication impairments, and the number of services received. Participants were 109 Latina mothers (intervention = 54, control = 55) of children with autism spectrum disorder. Results: After intervention at both Time 2 and Time 3 in both sites, mothers in the intervention groups reported significantly greater confidence in and frequency of using evidence-based strategies, and that their child received significantly more services. We also found that there were treatment differences across the two study sites in several outcomes. Implications: The intervention for Latinx parents of children with autism spectrum disorder was efficacious and could be maintained, and that site-specific policy and service differences may need to be examined in future research to inform dissemination and implementation.

scholarly journals Increased Functional Connectivity Between Subcortical and Cortical Resting-State Networks in Autism Spectrum Disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Cerliani ◽  
Maarten Mennes ◽  
Rajat M. Thomas ◽  
Adriana Di Martino ◽  
Marc Thioux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Resting State Networks

RELATIONSHIP AMONG SENSORY ISSUES AND REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

2020 ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
OJS Admin
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Communication Impairments ◽  
Autism Disorder

Sensory issues and Repetitive Behaviors are the key features of Autism Disorder Syndrome (ASD). This is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by social communication impairments and the occurrence ofrestricted and repeated behavioral habits and desires, including irregular responses to sensory stimuli.

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