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Journal Article Epublish 12 citations

PubMed: 36425476 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1045585

Application of pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling perfusion imaging in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Front Neurosci 16:1045585

Authors: Fang Ye, Lei Du, Bing Liu, Xinying Gao, Aocai Yang, Die Liu, Yue Chen, Kuan Lv, Pengfei Xu, Yuanmei Chen, Jing Liu, Lipeng Zhang, Shijun Li, Amir Shmuel, Qi Zhang, Guolin Ma

Affiliations

  • Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
  • Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China. Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research, Ministry of Education, Department of Radiology, Peking University, Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, China.
  • Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China. Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China.
  • Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • Department of Radiology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China. Peking University China-Japan Friendship School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, China.
  • Peking University China-Japan Friendship School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, China.
  • Department of Pediatrics, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China. Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
  • Department of Radiology, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
  • McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
  • Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Abstract

Introduction

Pseudocontinuous Arterial Spin Labeling (pCASL) perfusion imaging allows non-invasive quantification of regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) as part of a multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol. This study aimed to compare regional CBF in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) individuals with their age-matched typically developing (TD) children using pCASL perfusion imaging.

Materials and methods

This cross-sectional study enrolled 17 individuals with ASD and 13 TD children. All participants underwent pCASL examination on a 3.0 T MRI scanner. Children in two groups were assessed for clinical characteristics and developmental profiles using Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Gesell development diagnosis scale (GDDS), respectively. We compared CBF in different cerebral regions of ASD and TD children. We also assessed the association between CBF and clinical characteristics/developmental profile.

Results

Compared with TD children, individuals with ASD demonstrated a reduction in CBF in the left frontal lobe, the bilateral parietal lobes, and the bilateral temporal lobes. Within the ASD group, CBF was significantly higher in the right parietal lobe than in the left side. Correlation analysis of behavior characteristics and CBF in different regions showed a positive correlation between body and object domain scores on the ABC and CBF of the bilateral occipital lobes, and separately, between language domain scores and CBF of the left frontal lobe. The score of the social and self-help domain was negatively correlated with the CBF of the left frontal lobe, the left parietal lobe, and the left temporal lobe.

Conclusion

Cerebral blood flow was found to be negatively correlated with scores in the social and self-help domain, and positively correlated with those in the body and object domain, indicating that CBF values are a potential MRI-based biomarker of disease severity in ASD patients. The findings may provide novel insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of ASD.

MeSH

Frontal Lobe, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Blood, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Self Care, Autistic Disorder, Parietal Lobe, Blood Circulation, Perfusion Imaging, Temporal Lobe, Child

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