Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
Biol Psychol. 2022 Nov;175:108448. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108448. Epub 2022 Oct 28.
Growing evidence supports functional network alterations in autism spectrum disorder, however much less is known about the neural mechanisms underlying autistic traits in typically developing children. Using resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings, we examined whether functional connectivity could predict autistic trait expression in 127 children aged between 4 and 12 years. Regression models showed that right anterior theta connectivity was a significant predictor of autistic traits (p = 0.013), with increased connectivity in this region associated with greater autistic trait expression. These results corroborate similar recent findings in adults, extending this observation to a cohort of children spanning early-to-middle childhood. These findings further highlight EEG-derived functional connectivity as a sensitive physiological correlate of autistic trait expression in typically developing children.
越来越多的证据支持自闭症谱系障碍中的功能网络改变，然而，对于在正常发育的儿童中自闭症特征的神经机制知之甚少。本研究使用静息态脑电图（EEG）记录，研究了功能连接是否可以预测 127 名 4 至 12 岁儿童的自闭症特征表达。回归模型显示，右侧前θ连接是自闭症特征的一个显著预测因子（p=0.013），该区域的连接增加与自闭症特征表达增加相关。这些结果与最近在成年人中发现的类似结果相吻合，将这一观察结果扩展到了一个涵盖从幼儿期到中期儿童的队列。这些发现进一步强调了 EEG 衍生的功能连接作为正常发育儿童自闭症特征表达的敏感生理相关性。
