Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 74 Zhongshan Road 2, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
World J Pediatr. 2023 Aug;19(8):782-792. doi: 10.1007/s12519-023-00732-8. Epub 2023 Jun 5.
Behavioral research has shown that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a higher empathizing-systemizing difference (D score) than normal children. However, there is no research about the neuroanatomical mechanisms of the empathizing-systemizing difference in children with ASD.
Participants comprised 41 children with ASD and 39 typically developing (TD) children aged 6‒12 years. Empathizing-systemizing difference was estimated using the D score from the Chinese version of Children's Empathy Quotient and Systemizing Quotient. We quantified brain morphometry, including global and regional brain volumes and surface-based cortical measures (cortical thickness, surface area, and gyrification) via structural magnetic resonance imaging.
We found that the D score was significantly negatively associated with amygdala gray matter volume [β = -0.16; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.30, -0.02; P value = 0.030] in children with ASD. There was a significantly negative association between D score and gyrification in the left lateral occipital cortex (LOC) in children with ASD (B = -0.10; SE = 0.03; cluster-wise P value = 0.006) and a significantly positive association between D score and gyrification in the right fusiform in TD children (B = 0.10; SE = 0.03; cluster-wise P value = 0.022). Moderation analyses demonstrated significant interactions between D score and diagnosed group in amygdala gray matter volume (β = 0.19; 95% CI 0.04, 0.35; P value = 0.013) and left LOC gyrification (β = 0.11; 95% CI 0.05, 0.17; P value = 0.001) but not in right fusiform gyrification (β = 0.08; 95% CI -0.02, 0.17; P value = 0.105).
Neuroanatomical variation in amygdala volume and gyrification of LOC could be potential biomarkers for the empathizing-systemizing difference in children with ASD but not in TD children. Large-scale neuroimaging studies are necessary to test the replicability of our findings.
行为研究表明，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的共情-系统化差异（D 分数）高于正常儿童。然而，目前还没有关于 ASD 儿童共情-系统化差异的神经解剖学机制的研究。
参与者包括 41 名 ASD 儿童和 39 名正常发育（TD）儿童，年龄为 6-12 岁。使用儿童共情商和系统商量表的 D 分数来估计共情-系统化差异。我们通过结构磁共振成像定量测量脑形态，包括全局和局部脑容量以及基于表面的皮质测量（皮质厚度、皮质面积和脑回）。
我们发现 ASD 儿童的 D 分数与杏仁核灰质体积呈显著负相关[β= -0.16；95%置信区间（CI）：-0.30，-0.02；P 值=0.030]。在 ASD 儿童中，D 分数与左侧外侧枕叶皮质（LOC）的脑回数量呈显著负相关（B= -0.10；SE=0.03；簇级 P 值=0.006），而在 TD 儿童中，D 分数与右侧梭状回的脑回数量呈显著正相关（B=0.10；SE=0.03；簇级 P 值=0.022）。调节分析显示，D 分数与诊断组在杏仁核灰质体积（β=0.19；95%CI 0.04，0.35；P 值=0.013）和左侧 LOC 脑回数量（β=0.11；95%CI 0.05，0.17；P 值=0.001）之间存在显著的交互作用，但在右侧梭状回脑回数量（β=0.08；95%CI -0.02，0.17；P 值=0.105）之间没有交互作用。
杏仁核体积和 LOC 脑回数量的神经解剖学差异可能是 ASD 儿童共情-系统化差异的潜在生物标志物，但不是 TD 儿童的潜在生物标志物。需要进行大规模的神经影像学研究来检验我们发现的可重复性。
