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Synchrony between sensory and cognitive networks is associated with subclinical variation in autistic traits

Publication ,  Journal Article
Young, JS; Smith, DV; Coutlee, CG; Huettel, SA
Published in: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
March 23, 2015

Individuals with autistic spectrum disorders exhibit distinct personality traits linked to attentional, social, and affective functions, and those traits are expressed with varying levels of severity in the neurotypical and subclinical population. Variation in autistic traits has been linked to reduced functional and structural connectivity (i.e., underconnectivity, or reduced synchrony) with neural networks modulated by attentional, social, and affective functions. Yet, it remains unclear whether reduced synchrony between these neural networks contributes to autistic traits. To investigate this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to record brain activation while neurotypical participants who varied in their subclinical scores on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) viewed alternating blocks of social and nonsocial stimuli (i.e., images of faces and of landscape scenes). We used independent component analysis (ICA) combined with a spatiotemporal regression to quantify synchrony between neural networks. Our results indicated that decreased synchrony between the executive control network (ECN) and a face-scene network (FSN) predicted higher scores on the AQ. This relationship was not explained by individual differences in head motion, preferences for faces, or personality variables related to social cognition. Our findings build on clinical reports by demonstrating that reduced synchrony between distinct neural networks contributes to a range of subclinical autistic traits.

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Published In

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

DOI

EISSN

1662-5161

Publication Date

March 23, 2015

Volume

9

Issue

MAR

Related Subject Headings

  • Experimental Psychology
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
  • 3209 Neurosciences
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology
  • 1109 Neurosciences
 

Citation

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Young, J. S., Smith, D. V., Coutlee, C. G., & Huettel, S. A. (2015). Synchrony between sensory and cognitive networks is associated with subclinical variation in autistic traits. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9(MAR). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00146
Young, J. S., D. V. Smith, C. G. Coutlee, and S. A. Huettel. “Synchrony between sensory and cognitive networks is associated with subclinical variation in autistic traits.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 9, no. MAR (March 23, 2015). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00146.
Young JS, Smith DV, Coutlee CG, Huettel SA. Synchrony between sensory and cognitive networks is associated with subclinical variation in autistic traits. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2015 Mar 23;9(MAR).
Young, J. S., et al. “Synchrony between sensory and cognitive networks is associated with subclinical variation in autistic traits.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 9, no. MAR, Mar. 2015. Scopus, doi:10.3389/fnhum.2015.00146.
Young JS, Smith DV, Coutlee CG, Huettel SA. Synchrony between sensory and cognitive networks is associated with subclinical variation in autistic traits. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2015 Mar 23;9(MAR).

Published In

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

DOI

EISSN

1662-5161

Publication Date

March 23, 2015

Volume

9

Issue

MAR

Related Subject Headings

  • Experimental Psychology
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
  • 3209 Neurosciences
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology
  • 1109 Neurosciences