Disrupted Functional Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2019) | Viewed by 4258

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Neurology, MGH, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA
Interests: autism; ASD; MEG; EEG; neurophysiology; visual system; auditory system; functional connectivity; coherence; brain rhythms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It has been well established that functional connectivity in the brain of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is often disrupted. Since 2004, the prevailing hypothesis has been that long-range functional connectivity is abnormally reduced in ASD, while local (short-range) functional connectivity is abnormally increased. Over the past few years, it has emerged that the data suggest a far less simplistic picture. Results seem to depend on methodology, paradigms chosen, brain imaging method used, age group, and definitions used for the term “local”, among other factors. Since all brain function is essentially rooted in functional connectivity, it is imperative that we develop a more comprehensive and detailed picture of the nature of functional connectivity abnormalities in ASD in order to advance the field.

We invite contributions of original research and reviews to this Special Issue, which will take a broad view to examine disrupted functional connectivity in ASD. We welcome contributions from a variety of methods and approaches, and encourage contributions with negative results, as well as contributions with results that are seemingly contradictory to prior findings. Reviews and hypothesis papers are also encouraged.

I look forward to your submission to this exciting Special Issue.

Dr. Tal Kenet
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Autism
  • ASD
  • Asperger’s
  • Functional Connectivity
  • Coherence
  • MEG
  • EEG
  • fMRI
  • Phase locking
  • NIRS
  • Maturation
  • Social

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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12 pages, 307 KiB  
Perspective
Association between Interictal Epileptiform Discharges and Autistic Spectrum Disorder
by Laura Luz-Escamilla and José Antonio Morales-González
Brain Sci. 2019, 9(8), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9080185 - 30 Jul 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3996
Abstract
It has been reported that bioelectric alterations in an electroencephalogram (EEG) may play an etiological role in neurodevelopmental disorders. The clinical impact of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) in association with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is unknown. The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is one [...] Read more.
It has been reported that bioelectric alterations in an electroencephalogram (EEG) may play an etiological role in neurodevelopmental disorders. The clinical impact of interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) in association with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is unknown. The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is one of the gold standards for the diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. Some studies have indicated high comorbidity of IED and ASD, while other studies have not supported an association between the central symptoms of autism and IED. This review examines the high comorbidity and clinical impact of IED; patients with epilepsy are excluded from the scope of this review. ASD can be disabling and is diagnosed at an average age of 5 years old, at which point the greatest neurological development has occurred. If an association between IED and ASD is identified, a clinical tool that entails an innocuous procedure could enable diagnosis in the first years of life. However, in the absence of reports that prove an association between IED and ASD, patients should not be subjected to expensive treatments, such as the administration of anticonvulsant therapies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disrupted Functional Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder)
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