Altered structural brain asymmetry in autism spectrum disorder in a study of 54 datasets

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Merel C. Postema - , Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (Author)
  • Daan van Rooij - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Evdokia Anagnostou - , Bloorview Research Institute (Author)
  • Celso Arango - , Complutense University (Author)
  • Guillaume Auzias - , Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone (Author)
  • Marlene Behrmann - , Carnegie Mellon University (Author)
  • Geraldo Busatto Filho - , Universidade de São Paulo (Author)
  • Sara Calderoni - , University of Pisa (Author)
  • Rosa Calvo - , University of Barcelona (Author)
  • Eileen Daly - , King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Christine Deruelle - , Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone (Author)
  • Adriana Di Martino - , New York University (Author)
  • Ilan Dinstein - , Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Author)
  • Fabio Luis S. Duran - , Universidade de São Paulo (Author)
  • Sarah Durston - , Utrecht University (Author)
  • Christine Ecker - , University Hospital Frankfurt, Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (Author)
  • Stefan Ehrlich - , Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neurosciences, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (Author)
  • Damien Fair - , Oregon Health and Science University (Author)
  • Jennifer Fedor - , University of Pittsburgh (Author)
  • Xin Feng - , Jilin University (Author)
  • Jackie Fitzgerald - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Dorothea L. Floris - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Christine M. Freitag - , University Hospital Frankfurt (Author)
  • Louise Gallagher - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • David C. Glahn - , Harvard University, Olin Neuropsychiatric Research Center (Author)
  • Ilaria Gori - , Largo B. Pontecorvo 3 (Author)
  • Shlomi Haar - , Imperial College London (Author)
  • Liesbeth Hoekstra - , Radboud University Nijmegen, Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre (Author)
  • Neda Jahanshad - , Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (Author)
  • Maria Jalbrzikowski - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Joost Janssen - , Complutense University (Author)
  • Joseph A. King - , Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neurosciences (Author)
  • Xiang Zhen Kong - , Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (Author)
  • Luisa Lazaro - , University of Barcelona (Author)
  • Jason P. Lerch - , University of Toronto (Author)
  • Beatriz Luna - , University of Pittsburgh (Author)
  • Mauricio M. Martinho - , Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (Author)
  • Jane McGrath - , Trinity College Dublin (Author)
  • Sarah E. Medland - , Queensland Institute of Medical Research (Author)
  • Filippo Muratori - , University of Pisa (Author)
  • Clodagh M. Murphy - , King's College London (KCL), South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (Author)
  • Declan G.M. Murphy - , South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Kirsten O’Hearn - , University of Pittsburgh (Author)
  • Bob Oranje - , Utrecht University (Author)
  • Mara Parellada - , Complutense University (Author)
  • Olga Puig - , University of Barcelona (Author)
  • Alessandra Retico - , Largo B. Pontecorvo 3 (Author)
  • Pedro Rosa - , Universidade de São Paulo (Author)
  • Katya Rubia - , King's College London (KCL) (Author)
  • Devon Shook - , Utrecht University (Author)
  • Margot J. Taylor - , University of Toronto (Author)
  • Michela Tosetti - , University of Pisa (Author)
  • Gregory L. Wallace - , George Washington University (GWU) (Author)
  • Fengfeng Zhou - , Jilin University (Author)
  • Paul M. Thompson - , Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (Author)
  • Simon E. Fisher - , Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Jan K. Buitelaar - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • Clyde Francks - , Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)

Abstract

Altered structural brain asymmetry in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been reported. However, findings have been inconsistent, likely due to limited sample sizes. Here we investigated 1,774 individuals with ASD and 1,809 controls, from 54 independent data sets of the ENIGMA consortium. ASD was significantly associated with alterations of cortical thickness asymmetry in mostly medial frontal, orbitofrontal, cingulate and inferior temporal areas, and also with asymmetry of orbitofrontal surface area. These differences generally involved reduced asymmetry in individuals with ASD compared to controls. Furthermore, putamen volume asymmetry was significantly increased in ASD. The largest case-control effect size was Cohen’s d = −0.13, for asymmetry of superior frontal cortical thickness. Most effects did not depend on age, sex, IQ, severity or medication use. Altered lateralized neurodevelopment may therefore be a feature of ASD, affecting widespread brain regions with diverse functions. Large-scale analysis was necessary to quantify subtle alterations of brain structural asymmetry in ASD.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number4958
JournalNature communications
Volume10
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2019
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 31673008
ORCID /0000-0002-2864-5578/work/160950421
ORCID /0000-0003-2132-4445/work/160950887