Li Zhifeng, Wang Bin, Yang Lan, Niu Yan, Luo Qin, Zhao Shuo
College of Computer Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China.
School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, 3688 Nanhai Avenue, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518060, China.
Cereb Cortex. 2025 Jun 4;35(6). doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhaf130.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by structural and functional brain differences relative to typically developing individuals. Although previous work has identified abnormalities in rich-club (RC) organization and left-right asymmetry in ASD, the developmental trajectory of these anomalies remains unclear. In this study, we examined how age influences structure-function coupling and structural proportions in RC networks using data from 140 participants (aged 5-26 years) drawn from ABIDE II. Our findings revealed significant, age-related differences in the left hemisphere of ASD participants compared to controls, with the RC network predominantly localized in this region. Furthermore, an interaction effect in local RC organization-though not in global RC or feeder connections-was observed between diagnostic groups and brain lateralization. Notably, rightward lateralization in local RC networks increased with age in ASD individuals, whereas it decreased with age in controls. These results underscore an atypical, age-dependent pattern of hemispheric asymmetry in ASD and offer new insights into abnormal neurodevelopmental trajectories within RC organization.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种神经发育疾病，其特征是相对于正常发育个体而言，大脑存在结构和功能差异。尽管先前的研究已经确定了ASD患者在富俱乐部（RC）组织和左右不对称方面存在异常，但这些异常的发育轨迹仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们使用了来自ABIDE II的140名参与者（年龄在5至26岁之间）的数据，研究了年龄如何影响RC网络中的结构-功能耦合和结构比例。我们的研究结果显示，与对照组相比，ASD参与者的左半球存在显著的、与年龄相关的差异，RC网络主要位于该区域。此外，在诊断组和大脑偏侧化之间观察到了局部RC组织的交互作用——尽管在全局RC或馈线连接中没有观察到。值得注意的是，ASD个体中局部RC网络的向右偏侧化随年龄增加，而在对照组中则随年龄降低。这些结果强调了ASD中半球不对称的非典型、年龄依赖性模式，并为RC组织内异常的神经发育轨迹提供了新的见解。
