Transcallosal white matter and cortical gray matter variations in autistic adults aged 30-73 years.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong condition that profoundly impacts health, independence, and quality of life. However, research on brain aging in autistic adults is limited, and microstructural variations in white and gray matter remain poorly understood. To address this critical gap, we assessed novel diffusion MRI (dMRI) biomarkers, free water, and free water corrected fractional anisotropy (fwcFA), and mean diffusivity (fwcMD) across 32 transcallosal tracts and their corresponding homotopic grey matter origin/endpoint regions of interest (ROIs) in middle and old aged autistic adults.

Methods

Forty-three autistic adults aged 30-73 and 43 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched neurotypical controls underwent dMRI scans. We examined free water, fwcFA, fwcMD differ

SUBMITTER: Shin YS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11884179 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature