State-dependent changes of connectivity patterns and functional brain network topology in Autism Spectrum Disorder

TL;DR

This study reveals that ASD involves distinct, state-dependent changes in brain connectivity, with potential for diagnostic classification based on functional network patterns across cognitive states.

Contribution

It demonstrates that brain connectivity alterations in ASD vary with cognitive state and can be used to classify ASD with high accuracy, highlighting state-dependent neural markers.

Findings

Connectivity changes opposite in ASD and typicals during attention shifts

ASD connectivity alterations are more pronounced across cognitive states

Connectivity between specific brain regions predicts ASD severity

Abstract

Anatomical and functional brain studies have converged to the hypothesis that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are associated with atypical connectivity. Using a modified resting-state paradigm to drive subjects' attention, we provide evidence of a very marked interaction between ASD brain functional connectivity and cognitive state. We show that functional connectivity changes in opposite ways in ASD and typicals as attention shifts from external world towards one's body generated information. Furthermore, ASD subject alter more markedly than typicals their connectivity across cognitive states. Using differences in brain connectivity across conditions, we classified ASD subjects at a performance around 80% while classification based on the connectivity patterns in any given cognitive state were close to chance. Connectivity between the Anterior Insula and dorsal-anterior Cingulate Cortex showed the highest classification accuracy and its strength increased with ASD severity. These results pave the path for diagnosis of mental pathologies based on functional brain networks obtained from a library of mental states.