Behavioral disorders in children with autism related to reduced brain connectivity

More than a quarter of children with autism spectrum disorders are also diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders. For the first time, Yale researchers have identified a possible biological cause: a key mechanism that regulates emotions works differently in the brain of children with disruptive behavior.

The study appears in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.

"Disruptive behaviors such as aggression, irritability and non-compliance are common among children with autism and are among the main reasons for psychiatric treatment and even hospitalization. "said Denis Sukhodolsky, author and badociate professor at the Yale Child Study Center. "Yet, little is known about the biological underpinnings of behavioral problems in autistic children."

The first of its kind, Yale's study, used fMRI scans conducted during an emotion perception task to compare the brain activity of autistic children who demonstrate and do not exhibit disruptive behavior. In the scanner, children were asked to view images of human faces expressing calm or fearful expressions.

During the task, the researchers found a reduction in the connectivity between the amygdala and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, essential pathway for the regulation of emotions, in the brain of children exhibiting disruptive behavior compared to that of other children. "The reduced functional connectivity of the amygdala-ventrolateral prefrontal cortex was only badociated with disruptive behavior, but not with the severity of social deficits or anxiety, suggesting a distinct cerebral network that could be separated from the symptoms of the disease. Autism, "explained Karim Ibrahim, first author and postdoctoral fellow in the Sukhodolsky laboratory.

"This finding suggests a brain mechanism of dysregulation of emotions in autistic children and is a potential biomarker for the development of targeted treatments for irritability and aggression in autism," he said. said Sukhodolsky.