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Ultrahigh field in vivo characterization of microstructural abnormalities in the orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala in autism
Author(s) -
FischiGomez Elda,
Bonnier Guillaume,
Ward Noreen,
Granziera Cristina,
Hadjikhani Nouchine
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/ejn.15420
Subject(s) - cytoarchitecture , orbitofrontal cortex , autism , neuroscience , amygdala , prefrontal cortex , psychology , in vivo , autism spectrum disorder , cortex (anatomy) , biology , psychiatry , cognition , microbiology and biotechnology
There are currently no biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This neurodevelopmental condition has previously been associated with histopathological findings, including increased neuronal packing density in the amygdala, abnormal laminar cytoarchitecture and increased average neuronal density in the prefrontal cortex. The present study examined whether new brain imaging technologies could reveal in vivo, in adults with ASD, the manifestation of previously described histopathological changes. Using quantitative mapping at ultrahigh field (7 Tesla), we show that we can observe microstructural alterations in the right lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the bilateral amygdala in adult individuals with ASD in vivo. These imaging alterations point to an abnormal laminar cytoarchitecture and to an increased neuronal density, similar to what has been previously described in post‐mortem data in ASD. Our data demonstrate that it is possible to visualize, in vivo and at the individual level, alterations of cortical and subcortical microstructure in ASD. Future studies will be needed to extend these findings to a larger group of individuals and evaluate their association with symptomatology as well as their specificity among the different neurodevelopmental disorders.