Open AccessExamining volumetric gradients based on the frustum surface ratio in the brain in autism spectrum disorder
Author(s) -
Mann Caroline,
Schäfer Tim,
Bletsch Anke,
Gudbrandsen Maria,
Daly Eileen,
Suckling John,
Bullmore Edward T.,
Lombardo Michael V.,
Lai MengChuan,
Craig Michael C.,
BaronCohen Simon,
Murphy Declan G.M.,
Ecker Christine
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.25270
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , frustum , neurodevelopmental disorder , psychology , gyrification , brain size , typically developing , cortex (anatomy) , cerebral cortex , anatomy , autism , neuroscience , mathematics , developmental psychology , geometry , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , radiology
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that is accompanied by neurodevelopmental differences in regional cortical volume (CV), and a potential layer‐specific pathology. Conventional measures of CV, however, do not indicate how volume is distributed across cortical layers. In a sample of 92 typically developing (TD) controls and 92 adult individuals with ASD (aged 18–52 years), we examined volumetric gradients by quantifying the degree to which CV is weighted from the pial to the white surface of the brain. Overall, the spatial distribution of Frustum Surface Ratio (FSR) followed the gyral and sulcal pattern of the cortex and approximated a bimodal Gaussian distribution caused by a linear mixture of vertices on gyri and sulci. Measures of FSR were highly correlated with vertex‐wise estimates of mean curvature, sulcal depth, and pial surface area, although none of these features explained more than 76% variability in FSR on their own. Moreover, in ASD, we observed a pattern of predominant increases in the degree of FSR relative to TD controls, with an atypical neurodevelopmental trajectory. Our findings suggest a more outward‐weighted gradient of CV in ASD, which may indicate a larger contribution of supragranular layers to regional differences in CV.