Different functional connectivity optimal frequency in autism compared with healthy controls and the relationship with social communication deficits: Evidence from gene expression and behavior symptom analyses.

This brain imaging study found that autistic people's brains operate at different 'frequencies' than non-autistic people's brains when different areas communicate with each other. These frequency differences were linked to genes related to social communication problems and were associated with social communication difficulties in autism. This research helps explain why autistic people may process social information differently.

This neuroimaging study investigated differences in functional connectivity optimal frequency between autistic individuals and healthy controls. Using multivariate pattern analysis and partial least squares regression, researchers found significant differences in the dominant frequencies at which brain connections operate most strongly in autism. Gene expression analyses revealed that these frequency differences were associated with genes linked to social communication problems. Additionally, the altered connectivity frequencies in autism were significantly related to social communication symptoms.

The study suggests that autistic brains may process information at different optimal frequencies compared to neurotypical brains, which may contribute to social communication difficulties.

Findings suggest autistic brains may process information at different optimal frequencies, potentially explaining social communication differences. This neurobiological understanding could inform future intervention development, though direct clinical applications are not yet clear.

Sample size not reported. Study type unclear. Cross-sectional design limits causal inferences. Gene expression analyses are correlational. Clinical implications for intervention development remain unclear.

Studies have reported that different brain regions/connections possess distinct frequency properties, which are related to brain function. Previous studies have proposed altered brain activity frequency and frequency-specific functional connectivity (FC) patterns in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), implying the varied dominant frequency of FC in ASD. However, the difference of the dominant frequency of FC between ASD and healthy controls (HCs) remains unclear. In the present study, the dominant frequency of FC was measured by FC optimal frequency, which was defined as the intermediate of the frequency bin at which the FC strength could reach the maximum.

A multivariate pattern analysis was conducted to determine whether the FC optimal frequency in ASD differs from that in HCs. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and enrichment analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between the FC optimal frequency difference of ASD/HCs and cortical gene expression. PLSR analyses were also performed to explore the relationship between FC optimal frequency and the clinical symptoms of ASD. Results showed a significant difference of FC optimal frequency between ASD and HCs.

Some genes whose cortical expression patterns are related to the FC optimal frequency difference of ASD/HCs were enriched for social communication problems. Meanwhile, the FC optimal frequency in ASD was significantly related to social communication symptoms. These results may help us understand the neuro-mechanism of the social communication deficits in ASD.