Autism and Cortical Thickness Deviation From Neurotypical Controls: Evidence for a Spatial Association With Serotonin Receptors

Publikation: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift › Forschungsartikel › Beigetragen › Begutachtung

Beitragende

Abstract

Cortical thickness (CT) differences between autistic individuals (AI) and neurotypical controls have been consistently reported, yet the neurochemical mechanisms underlying these differences remain insufficiently understood. Neurotransmitter receptor systems exhibit distinct spatial distributions across the cortex and influence synaptic maturation, plasticity, and cortical organization. Consequently, mapping CT deviations onto these receptor density gradients provides a biologically informed framework for investigating the potential underlying neurochemical architectures of observed structural patterns in autism. A total of 1035 structural MRIs (AI n = 505, neurotypical controls n = 530) were included from Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE). Group contrasts and individual-level deviations from age-predicted CT patterns were computed. These spatial patterns were correlated with neurotransmitter receptors cortical density distributions (D1, D2, 5HT1a, 5HT2a, 5HT4, 5HT6, mGluR5) from previous PET studies. Widespread vertex-wise deviations in CT were observed in AI in comparison to neurotypical controls. At the group level, CT differences were spatially aligned with the cortical density of serotonin receptors (5HT1a: r = 0.22, FDR-p = 0.032; 5HT4: r = 0.21, FDR-p = 0.032). At the individual level, greater deviations from predicted CT, if mapped onto specific neurotransmitter receptor density gradients, correlated with greater difficulties in the social and communication domains. The findings provide novel evidence that serotonin receptors may play a role in shaping cortical structural brain differences between AI and neurotypical controls. The link between CT differences and spatial distributions of the serotoninergic system offers a translational perspective for future targeted support strategies focused on serotonergic pathways.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummere70243
Seitenumfang12
FachzeitschriftAutism research
Jahrgang19
Ausgabenummer6
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Juni 2026
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

PubMed 41923483
ORCID /0000-0003-2132-4445/work/222089357
ORCID /0000-0002-2864-5578/work/222089365
ORCID /0000-0002-5026-1239/work/222089461
ORCID /0000-0002-5112-405X/work/222089468

Schlagworte

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

  • Allgemeine Neurowissenschaft - autism, mental health, neurodevelopment, neurotransmitter receptors, structural neuroimaging
  • Klinische Neurologie - autism, mental health, neurodevelopment, neurotransmitter receptors, structural neuroimaging
  • Genetik (klinisch) - autism, mental health, neurodevelopment, neurotransmitter receptors, structural neuroimaging

Schlagwörter

  • autism, mental health, neurodevelopment, neurotransmitter receptors, structural neuroimaging