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The Journal of Neuroscience, October 24, 2007, 27(43):11725-11735; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0777-07.2007

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Neurobiology of Disease
Cortical Folding Abnormalities in Autism Revealed by Surface-Based Morphometry

Christine Wu Nordahl,¹ Donna Dierker,² Iman Mostafavi,¹ Cynthia M. Schumann,^1,3 Susan M. Rivera,⁴ David G. Amaral,¹ and David C. Van Essen²

¹The Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (M.I.N.D.) Institute and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, California 95817, ²Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, ³Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, and ⁴The M.I.N.D. Institute and the Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616

Correspondence should be addressed to Christine Wu Nordahl, University of California, Davis, 2805 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817. Email: crswu{at}ucdavis.edu

We tested for cortical shape abnormalities using surface-based morphometry across a range of autism spectrum disorders (7.5–18 years of age). We generated sulcal depth maps from structural magnetic resonance imaging data and compared typically developing controls to three autism spectrum disorder subgroups: low-functioning autism, high-functioning autism, and Asperger's syndrome. The low-functioning autism group had a prominent shape abnormality centered on the pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus that was associated with a sulcal depth difference in the anterior insula and frontal operculum. The high-functioning autism group had bilateral shape abnormalities similar to the low-functioning group, but smaller in size and centered more posteriorly, in and near the parietal operculum and ventral postcentral gyrus. Individuals with Asperger's syndrome had bilateral abnormalities in the intraparietal sulcus that correlated with age, intelligence quotient, and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised social and repetitive behavior scores. Because of evidence suggesting age-related differences in the developmental time course of neural alterations in autism, separate analyses on children (7.5–12.5 years of age) and adolescents (12.75–18 years of age) were also carried out. All of the cortical shape abnormalities identified across all ages were more pronounced in the children. These findings are consistent with evidence of an altered trajectory of early brain development in autism, and they identify several regions that may have abnormal patterns of connectivity in individuals with autism.

Key words: autism spectrum disorders; MRI; Asperger's syndrome; intraparietal sulcus; inferior frontal gyrus; cortex; connectivity

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Received Feb. 20, 2007; revised Aug. 30, 2007; accepted Sept. 3, 2007.

Correspondence should be addressed to Christine Wu Nordahl, University of California, Davis, 2805 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817. Email: crswu{at}ucdavis.edu

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Dubois, M. Benders, C. Borradori-Tolsa, A. Cachia, F. Lazeyras, R. Ha-Vinh Leuchter, S. V. Sizonenko, S. K. Warfield, J. F. Mangin, and P. S. Huppi Primary cortical folding in the human newborn: an early marker of later functional development Brain, August 1, 2008; 131(8): 2028 - 2041. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Disease Mechanisms in Neuroscience Neuroscientist, April 1, 2008; 14(2): 138 - 138. [PDF]

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