2024/07/02 by Donato Liloia, Denisa Adina Zamfira, Masaru Tanaka +7 · 1 voice · 10 citations
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder #Autism Spectrum Disorder Research #Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
paper · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105791
openalex publication_date 2024/07/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Despite over two decades of neuroimaging research, a unanimous definition of the pattern of structural variation associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has yet to be found. One potential impeding issue could be the sometimes ambiguous use of measurements of variations in gray matter volume (GMV) or gray matter concentration (GMC). In fact, while both can be calculated using voxel-based morphometry analysis, these may reflect different underlying pathological mechanisms. We conducted a coordinate-based meta-analysis, keeping apart GMV and GMC studies of subjects with ASD. Results showed distinct and non-overlapping patterns for the two measures. GMV decreases were evident in the cerebellum, while GMC decreases were mainly found in the temporal and frontal regions. GMV increases were found in the parietal, temporal, and frontal brain regions, while GMC increases were observed in the anterior cingulate cortex and middle frontal gyrus. Age-stratified analyses suggested that such variations are dynamic across the ASD lifespan. The present findings emphasize the importance of considering GMV and GMC as distinct yet synergistic indices in autism research.