Causal Network Analysis Reveals Key Brain Regions Associated With Severity in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

IF 5.6 2区 医学 Q1 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Autism Research Pub Date : 2025-08-01 DOI:10.1002/aur.70098
Xiaofen Sun, Haibo Wang, Jingbo Deng, Shitong Cheng, Xiaocheng Wang, Chenghui Fu, Ling Li, Yuefu Zhan, Jianqiang Chen
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the relationship between gray matter (GM) changes and severity in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We examined 113 ASD children aged 2–8 years (17 mild cases, 56 moderate cases, and 40 severe cases), as well as 110 age and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to compare GM density (GMD) changes between ASD and HC groups. Additionally, structural covariance network analysis quantified the cross-regional synchronous changes in GM among ASD children, and causal analysis described the pattern of changes in the GM network related to symptom severity in ASD children. The results indicated that ASD children exhibiting mild symptoms have an enlarged parahippocampal gyrus, and as the severity of ASD increases, the range of GMD changes expands (p < 0.05, FDR correction). Granger causality (GC) analysis revealed that the parahippocampal gyrus may function as a central hub within ASD-related directional networks, exerting causal effects on other brain regions (p < 0.05). These findings were validated by external datasets. Our results provide preliminary insights into the role of the parahippocampal gyrus in ASD and promote the application of dimensional models.

因果网络分析揭示了与自闭症谱系障碍儿童严重程度相关的关键大脑区域。
本研究旨在探讨自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)儿童灰质(GM)变化与严重程度的关系。我们检查了113名2-8岁的ASD儿童(17例轻度,56例中度,40例重度),以及110名年龄和性别匹配的健康对照(HC)。采用体素形态测定法(VBM)比较ASD组和HC组间GM密度(GMD)的变化。此外,结构协方差网络分析量化了ASD儿童GM的跨区域同步变化,因果分析描述了ASD儿童症状严重程度相关的GM网络变化模式。结果表明,表现出轻度症状的ASD儿童海马旁回增大,并且随着ASD严重程度的增加,GMD变化的范围扩大(p
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来源期刊
Autism Research
Autism Research 医学-行为科学
CiteScore
8.00
自引率
8.50%
发文量
187
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: AUTISM RESEARCH will cover the developmental disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (or autism spectrum disorders – ASDs). The Journal focuses on basic genetic, neurobiological and psychological mechanisms and how these influence developmental processes in ASDs.
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