Social behavior in ASD males: The interplay between cognitive flexibility, working memory, and functional connectivity deviations
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is highly heterogeneous in presentation. While abnormalities in brain functional connectivity are consistently observed in autistic males, the neurobiological basis underlying the different domains of autism symptoms is unclear. In this study, we evaluated whether indi...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929324001440 |
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| author | Shi Yu Chan Jasmine Si Min Chuah Pei Huang Ai Peng Tan |
| author_facet | Shi Yu Chan Jasmine Si Min Chuah Pei Huang Ai Peng Tan |
| author_sort | Shi Yu Chan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is highly heterogeneous in presentation. While abnormalities in brain functional connectivity are consistently observed in autistic males, the neurobiological basis underlying the different domains of autism symptoms is unclear. In this study, we evaluated whether individual variations in functional connectivity deviations map to social behavior in ASD males. Using neuroimaging data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE), we modeled normative trajectories of between-network resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in non-ASD males across childhood (n = 321). These normative charts were then applied to ASD males (n = 418) to calculate individual deviation scores (z-scores) that reflect the degree of rsFC atypicality. Deviations in rsFC patterns among the default mode network (DMN), ventral attention network (VAN), frontoparietal network (FPN), and somatomotor network (SMN) were associated with distinct dimensions of social behavior. Cognitive flexibility and working memory mediated the association between VANxDMN z-scores and social behavioral problems. Our findings underscore the potential of normative models to identify atypical brain connectivity at an individual level, revealing the neurobiological patterns associated with social behavioral problems in ASD that are critical for precision diagnosis and intervention. Social outcomes in ASD males may be improved by targeting cognitive flexibility and working memory. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7c21907dbf614f1296c60a67bbd5fe37 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1878-9293 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj-art-7c21907dbf614f1296c60a67bbd5fe372025-01-22T05:41:16ZengElsevierDevelopmental Cognitive Neuroscience1878-92932025-01-0171101483Social behavior in ASD males: The interplay between cognitive flexibility, working memory, and functional connectivity deviationsShi Yu Chan0Jasmine Si Min Chuah1Pei Huang2Ai Peng Tan3Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A⁎STAR), 30 Medical Dr, Singapore 117609, SingaporeInstitute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A⁎STAR), 30 Medical Dr, Singapore 117609, SingaporeInstitute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A⁎STAR), 30 Medical Dr, Singapore 117609, SingaporeInstitute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A⁎STAR), 30 Medical Dr, Singapore 117609, Singapore; Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), 10 Medical Dr, Singapore 117597, Singapore; Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National University Health System, 1E Kent Ridge Rd, Singapore 119228, Singapore; Corresponding author at: Department of Diagnostic Imaging, National University Health System, 1E Kent Ridge Rd, Singapore 119228, Singapore.Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is highly heterogeneous in presentation. While abnormalities in brain functional connectivity are consistently observed in autistic males, the neurobiological basis underlying the different domains of autism symptoms is unclear. In this study, we evaluated whether individual variations in functional connectivity deviations map to social behavior in ASD males. Using neuroimaging data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE), we modeled normative trajectories of between-network resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in non-ASD males across childhood (n = 321). These normative charts were then applied to ASD males (n = 418) to calculate individual deviation scores (z-scores) that reflect the degree of rsFC atypicality. Deviations in rsFC patterns among the default mode network (DMN), ventral attention network (VAN), frontoparietal network (FPN), and somatomotor network (SMN) were associated with distinct dimensions of social behavior. Cognitive flexibility and working memory mediated the association between VANxDMN z-scores and social behavioral problems. Our findings underscore the potential of normative models to identify atypical brain connectivity at an individual level, revealing the neurobiological patterns associated with social behavioral problems in ASD that are critical for precision diagnosis and intervention. Social outcomes in ASD males may be improved by targeting cognitive flexibility and working memory.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929324001440Autism spectrum disordersFunctional connectivityGeneralized additive modelsNormative TrajectoriesSocial behaviorExecutive functioning |
| spellingShingle | Shi Yu Chan Jasmine Si Min Chuah Pei Huang Ai Peng Tan Social behavior in ASD males: The interplay between cognitive flexibility, working memory, and functional connectivity deviations Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Autism spectrum disorders Functional connectivity Generalized additive models Normative Trajectories Social behavior Executive functioning |
| title | Social behavior in ASD males: The interplay between cognitive flexibility, working memory, and functional connectivity deviations |
| title_full | Social behavior in ASD males: The interplay between cognitive flexibility, working memory, and functional connectivity deviations |
| title_fullStr | Social behavior in ASD males: The interplay between cognitive flexibility, working memory, and functional connectivity deviations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social behavior in ASD males: The interplay between cognitive flexibility, working memory, and functional connectivity deviations |
| title_short | Social behavior in ASD males: The interplay between cognitive flexibility, working memory, and functional connectivity deviations |
| title_sort | social behavior in asd males the interplay between cognitive flexibility working memory and functional connectivity deviations |
| topic | Autism spectrum disorders Functional connectivity Generalized additive models Normative Trajectories Social behavior Executive functioning |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929324001440 |
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