Krishnamurthy Karthikeyan, Yeung Michael K, Chan Agnes S, Han Yvonne M Y
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Brain Sci. 2020 Nov 20;10(11):880. doi: 10.3390/brainsci10110880.
Effortful control (EC) is an important dimension of temperament, but is impaired in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While EC is associated with the prefrontal cortex (PFC) functioning in typically developing (TD) children, it is unclear whether EC deficits are associated with PFC dysfunction in ASD. This study examines the relationship between EC and PFC activation and connectivity in children with high-functioning ASD. Thirty-nine right-handed children (ASD: = 20; TD: = 19) aged 8-12 years were recruited. The EC level was assessed with the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R), and PFC functioning, in terms of activation and connectivity during a frontal-sensitive (-back) task, was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Children with ASD showed a significant deficit in EC and its related constructs (i.e., executive, and socioemotional functions) compared to TD controls. They also showed significantly increased overall PFC activation and reduced right frontal connectivity during the -back task. Among children with ASD, the EC level correlated significantly with neither PFC activation nor connectivity; it significantly correlated with social functioning only. This study demonstrated EC deficits and altered PFC functioning in children with ASD, but the exact neural basis of EC deficits remains to be determined.
努力控制（EC）是气质的一个重要维度，但在自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）中受损。虽然在典型发育（TD）儿童中，EC与前额叶皮质（PFC）功能相关，但尚不清楚在ASD中，EC缺陷是否与PFC功能障碍相关。本研究考察了高功能ASD儿童中EC与PFC激活及连通性之间的关系。招募了39名8至12岁的右利手儿童（ASD组：n = 20；TD组：n = 19）。使用青少年早期气质问卷修订版（EATQ-R）评估EC水平，并使用功能近红外光谱（fNIRS）评估在额叶敏感（前后）任务期间PFC的激活和连通性方面的功能。与TD对照组相比，ASD儿童在EC及其相关结构（即执行功能和社会情感功能）方面存在显著缺陷。在前后任务期间，他们还表现出整体PFC激活显著增加以及右额叶连通性降低。在ASD儿童中，EC水平与PFC激活和连通性均无显著相关性；它仅与社会功能显著相关。本研究证明了ASD儿童存在EC缺陷以及PFC功能改变，但EC缺陷的确切神经基础仍有待确定。
