Hirosawa Tetsu, Soma Daiki, Sano Masuhiko, Kameya Masafumi, Yoshimura Yuko, Iwasaki Sumie, Tanaka Sanae, Kikuchi Mitsuru
Department of Psychiatry and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Research Center for Child Mental Development, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Front Psychiatry. 2025 Jul 16;16:1600973. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1600973. eCollection 2025.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Neuroimaging studies suggest altered functional brain organization in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), particularly in response to visual stimulation. However, how transitions between different visual states modulate brain network in ASD remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate how transitioning from minimal visual input (fixation in a dark room, DR) to a silent video (eyes open, EO) alters functional brain networks in children with ASD compared with their typically developing (TD) peers.
We analyzed magnetoencephalography (MEG) data from children with ASD (n=23) and TD children (n=31), aged 3-10 years. MEG signals were mapped to 68 cortical regions using the Desikan-Killiany atlas, and functional connectivity was assessed using the phase lag index across five frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma). Graph theoretical analyses quantified the clustering coefficient (C), characteristic path length (L), and small-worldness (SW) to evaluate network organization.
Both groups exhibited increased alpha-band clustering coefficients under EO. Notably, baseline (DR) graph metrics predicted EO-induced changes, with higher initial values associated with smaller subsequent increases. Diagnosis-by-condition interactions emerged in the delta and beta bands: children with ASD exhibited more pronounced increases in SW from DR to EO, whereas TD peers showed more modest or opposite shifts. Within the ASD group, larger beta-band SW increases correlated with greater autistic trait severity (Social Responsiveness Scale), whereas in TD children, delta-band increases associated with milder autistic-like traits.
These findings reveal age- and diagnosis-specific differences in how visual stimulation reshapes functional brain network organization. They also highlight the potential of network metrics as biomarkers for ASD, though validation in larger, more diverse cohorts is needed to establish clinical relevance.
背景/目的：神经影像学研究表明，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的大脑功能组织存在改变，尤其是在对视觉刺激的反应方面。然而，不同视觉状态之间的转换如何调节ASD患者的脑网络仍不清楚。本研究旨在调查与发育正常（TD）的同龄人相比，从最小视觉输入（在暗室中注视，DR）转换到无声视频（睁眼，EO）时，ASD儿童的功能性脑网络如何变化。
我们分析了3至10岁的ASD儿童（n = 23）和TD儿童（n = 31）的脑磁图（MEG）数据。使用Desikan-Killiany图谱将MEG信号映射到68个皮质区域，并使用跨五个频段（δ、θ、α、β和γ）的相位滞后指数评估功能连接性。采用图论分析量化聚类系数（C）、特征路径长度（L）和小世界特性（SW），以评估网络组织。
两组在EO状态下α频段的聚类系数均增加。值得注意的是，基线（DR）图指标可预测EO诱导的变化，初始值越高，随后的增加越小。在δ和β频段出现了诊断与状态的交互作用：ASD儿童从DR到EO时SW的增加更为明显，而TD同龄人则表现出更为适度或相反的变化。在ASD组中，β频段SW的较大增加与更高的自闭症特征严重程度（社会反应量表）相关，而在TD儿童中，δ频段的增加与较轻的自闭症样特征相关。
这些发现揭示了视觉刺激重塑功能性脑网络组织方面的年龄和诊断特异性差异。它们还强调了网络指标作为ASD生物标志物的潜力，不过需要在更大、更多样化的队列中进行验证以确立其临床相关性。
