Anomalies de l'épaisseur corticale dans les troubles du spectre autistique au cours de l'enfance, l'adolescence et l'âge adulte: une étude IRM à grande échelle

Aperçu: G.M.

Les études de neuroimagerie dans les troubles du spectre de l'autisme (TSA) ont fourni des preuves incohérentes d'anomalies corticales. Cela s'explique probablement par la faible taille des échantillons utilisés dans la plupart des études et par les différences importantes dans les caractéristiques de l'échantillon, notamment l'âge, ainsi que l'hétérogénéité du trouble.

Les résultats montrent une augmentation de l'épaisseur corticale dans le TSA, principalement latéralisé à gauche, à partir de 6 ans, avec des différences diminuant au cours de l'âge adulte. La gravité des symptômes liés à l'affect social et la communication est corrélée avec ces anomalies corticales. 

Cereb Cortex. 2017 Feb 18:1-11. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhx038.

Cortical Thickness Abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorders Through Late Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood: A Large-Scale MRI Study

Khundrakpam BS¹, Lewis JD¹, Kostopoulos P¹, Carbonell F¹, Evans AC¹.

Author information

1

Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, CanadaH3H2P1.

Abstract

Neuroimaging studies in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have provided inconsistent evidence of cortical abnormality. This is probably due to the small sample sizes used in most studies, and important differences in sample characteristics, particularly age, as well as to the heterogeneity of the disorder. To address these issues, we assessed abnormalities in ASD within the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange data set, which comprises data from approximately 1100 individuals (~6-55 years). A subset of these data that met stringent quality control and inclusion criteria (560 male subjects; 266 ASD; age = 6-35 years) were used to compute age-specific differences in cortical thickness in ASD and the relationship of any such differences to symptom severity of ASD. Our results show widespread increased cortical thickness in ASD, primarily left lateralized, from 6 years onwards, with differences diminishing during adulthood. The severity of symptoms related to social affect and communication correlated with these cortical abnormalities. These results are consistent with the conjecture that developmental patterns of cortical thickness abnormalities reflect delayed cortical maturation and highlight the dynamic nature of morphological abnormalities in ASD.

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PMID: 28334080

DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx038