Atypically diffuse functional connectivity between caudate nuclei and cerebral cortex in autism.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting sociocommunicative behavior, but also sensorimotor skill learning, oculomotor control, and executive functioning. Some of these impairments may be related to abnormalities of the caudate nuclei, which have been reported for autism.

Methods

Our sample was comprised of 8 high-functioning males with autism and 8 handedness, sex, and age-matched controls. Subjects underwent functional MRI scanning during performance on simple visuomotor coordination tasks. Functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) effects were identified as interregional blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal cross-correlation, using the caudate nuclei as seed volumes.

Results

In the control group, fcMRI effects were found in circuits with kn

SUBMITTER: Turner KC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1635430 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature