Cortical Thickness Differences in Autistic Children With and Without Intellectual Disability / Derek S. ANDREWS in Autism Research, 18-3 (March 2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 18-3 (March 2025) . - p.486-497 Titre : Cortical Thickness Differences in Autistic Children With and Without Intellectual Disability Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Derek S. ANDREWS, Auteur ; Andrew J. DAKOPOLOS, Auteur ; Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; Brianna HEATH, Auteur ; Devani CORDERO, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.486-497 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : autism  cortical thickness  intellectual disability  IQ  MRI Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : ABSTRACT Of the 1 in 36 individuals in the United States who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, nearly 40% also have intellectual disability (ID). The cortex has been widely implicated in neural processes underlying autistic behaviors as well as intellectual ability. Thus, neuroimaging features such as cortical thickness are of particular interest as a possible biomarkers of the condition. However, neuroimaging studies often fail to include autistic individuals with ID. As a result, there are few studies of cortical thickness in autistic individuals across the entire range of intellectual abilities. This study used MRI to evaluate cortical thickness in young autistic children (n 88, mean age 5.37 years) with a large range of intellectual ability (IQ 19 133) as well as nonautistic, nondevelopmentally delayed (referred to here as typically developing [TD]) peers (n 53, mean age 5.29 years). We first investigated associations between full scale IQ and cortical thickness in both autistic and TD children. Autistic children had significant negative associations (i.e., thinner cortex, higher IQ) in bilateral entorhinal cortex, right fusiform gyrus, superior, middle and inferior temporal gyri, and right temporal pole that were not present in TD children. Significantly thicker cortex was also observed in these regions for autistic children with ID (i.e., IQ?? 70) compared with those without. Last, given the reported correspondence between the severity of autism symptoms and intellectual ability, we compared cortical thickness associations with both IQ and ADOS Calibrated Severity Scores and found these patterns overlapped to a significant degree across the cortex. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3313 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=550 [article] Cortical Thickness Differences in Autistic Children With and Without Intellectual Disability [texte imprimé] / Derek S. ANDREWS, Auteur ; Andrew J. DAKOPOLOS, Auteur ; Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; Brianna HEATH, Auteur ; Devani CORDERO, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur . - p.486-497. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 18-3 (March 2025) . - p.486-497 Mots-clés : autism  cortical thickness  intellectual disability  IQ  MRI Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : ABSTRACT Of the 1 in 36 individuals in the United States who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, nearly 40% also have intellectual disability (ID). The cortex has been widely implicated in neural processes underlying autistic behaviors as well as intellectual ability. Thus, neuroimaging features such as cortical thickness are of particular interest as a possible biomarkers of the condition. However, neuroimaging studies often fail to include autistic individuals with ID. As a result, there are few studies of cortical thickness in autistic individuals across the entire range of intellectual abilities. This study used MRI to evaluate cortical thickness in young autistic children (n 88, mean age 5.37 years) with a large range of intellectual ability (IQ 19 133) as well as nonautistic, nondevelopmentally delayed (referred to here as typically developing [TD]) peers (n 53, mean age 5.29 years). We first investigated associations between full scale IQ and cortical thickness in both autistic and TD children. Autistic children had significant negative associations (i.e., thinner cortex, higher IQ) in bilateral entorhinal cortex, right fusiform gyrus, superior, middle and inferior temporal gyri, and right temporal pole that were not present in TD children. Significantly thicker cortex was also observed in these regions for autistic children with ID (i.e., IQ?? 70) compared with those without. Last, given the reported correspondence between the severity of autism symptoms and intellectual ability, we compared cortical thickness associations with both IQ and ADOS Calibrated Severity Scores and found these patterns overlapped to a significant degree across the cortex. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3313 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=550

Default mode and fronto-parietal network associations with IQ development across childhood in autism / Joshua K. LEE in Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 14 (2022)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders > 14 (2022) Titre : Default mode and fronto-parietal network associations with IQ development across childhood in autism Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; An Chuen Billy CHO, Auteur ; Derek S. ANDREWS, Auteur ; Sally OZONOFF, Auteur ; Sally J. ROGERS, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Christine Wu NORDAHL, Auteur Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism Spectrum Disorder/complications/diagnostic imaging  Autistic Disorder/diagnostic imaging  Brain/diagnostic imaging  Brain Mapping  Female  Humans  Intellectual Disability/complications  Autism spectrum disorder  Default mode  Fronto-parietal  Iq  Intellectual disability  Longitudinal  MRI  Inc., and Axial Therapeutics. The other authors declare that they have competing  interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Intellectual disability affects approximately one third of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (autism). Yet, a major unresolved neurobiological question is what differentiates autistic individuals with and without intellectual disability. Intelligence quotients (IQs) are highly variable during childhood. We previously identified three subgroups of autistic children with different trajectories of intellectual development from early (2-3½ years) to middle childhood (9-12 years): (a) persistently high: individuals whose IQs remained in the normal range; (b) persistently low: individuals whose IQs remained in the range of intellectual disability (IQ < 70); and (c) changers: individuals whose IQs began in the range of intellectual disability but increased to the normal IQ range. The frontoparietal (FPN) and default mode (DMN) networks have established links to intellectual functioning. Here, we tested whether brain regions within the FPN and DMN differed volumetrically between these IQ trajectory groups in early childhood. METHODS: We conducted multivariate distance matrix regression to examine the brain regions within the FPN (11 regions x 2 hemispheres) and the DMN (12 regions x 2 hemispheres) in 48 persistently high (18 female), 108 persistently low (32 female), and 109 changers (39 female) using structural MRI acquired at baseline. FPN and DMN regions were defined using networks identified in Smith et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:13040-5, 2009). IQ trajectory groups were defined by IQ measurements from up to three time points spanning early to middle childhood (mean age time 1: 3.2 years; time 2: 5.4 years; time 3: 11.3 years). RESULTS: The changers group exhibited volumetric differences in the DMN compared to both the persistently low and persistently high groups at time 1. However, the persistently high group did not differ from the persistently low group, suggesting that DMN structure may be an early predictor for change in IQ trajectory. In contrast, the persistently high group exhibited differences in the FPN compared to both the persistently low and changers groups, suggesting differences related more to concurrent IQ and the absence of intellectual disability. CONCLUSIONS: Within autism, volumetric differences of brain regions within the DMN in early childhood may differentiate individuals with persistently low IQ from those with low IQ that improves through childhood. Structural differences in brain networks between these three IQ-based subgroups highlight distinct neural underpinnings of these autism sub-phenotypes. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s11689-022-09460-y Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=574 [article] Default mode and fronto-parietal network associations with IQ development across childhood in autism [texte imprimé] / Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; An Chuen Billy CHO, Auteur ; Derek S. ANDREWS, Auteur ; Sally OZONOFF, Auteur ; Sally J. ROGERS, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Christine Wu NORDAHL, Auteur. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders > 14 (2022) Mots-clés : Autism Spectrum Disorder/complications/diagnostic imaging  Autistic Disorder/diagnostic imaging  Brain/diagnostic imaging  Brain Mapping  Female  Humans  Intellectual Disability/complications  Autism spectrum disorder  Default mode  Fronto-parietal  Iq  Intellectual disability  Longitudinal  MRI  Inc., and Axial Therapeutics. The other authors declare that they have competing  interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Intellectual disability affects approximately one third of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (autism). Yet, a major unresolved neurobiological question is what differentiates autistic individuals with and without intellectual disability. Intelligence quotients (IQs) are highly variable during childhood. We previously identified three subgroups of autistic children with different trajectories of intellectual development from early (2-3½ years) to middle childhood (9-12 years): (a) persistently high: individuals whose IQs remained in the normal range; (b) persistently low: individuals whose IQs remained in the range of intellectual disability (IQ < 70); and (c) changers: individuals whose IQs began in the range of intellectual disability but increased to the normal IQ range. The frontoparietal (FPN) and default mode (DMN) networks have established links to intellectual functioning. Here, we tested whether brain regions within the FPN and DMN differed volumetrically between these IQ trajectory groups in early childhood. METHODS: We conducted multivariate distance matrix regression to examine the brain regions within the FPN (11 regions x 2 hemispheres) and the DMN (12 regions x 2 hemispheres) in 48 persistently high (18 female), 108 persistently low (32 female), and 109 changers (39 female) using structural MRI acquired at baseline. FPN and DMN regions were defined using networks identified in Smith et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:13040-5, 2009). IQ trajectory groups were defined by IQ measurements from up to three time points spanning early to middle childhood (mean age time 1: 3.2 years; time 2: 5.4 years; time 3: 11.3 years). RESULTS: The changers group exhibited volumetric differences in the DMN compared to both the persistently low and persistently high groups at time 1. However, the persistently high group did not differ from the persistently low group, suggesting that DMN structure may be an early predictor for change in IQ trajectory. In contrast, the persistently high group exhibited differences in the FPN compared to both the persistently low and changers groups, suggesting differences related more to concurrent IQ and the absence of intellectual disability. CONCLUSIONS: Within autism, volumetric differences of brain regions within the DMN in early childhood may differentiate individuals with persistently low IQ from those with low IQ that improves through childhood. Structural differences in brain networks between these three IQ-based subgroups highlight distinct neural underpinnings of these autism sub-phenotypes. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s11689-022-09460-y Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=574

A diffusion-weighted imaging tract-based spatial statistics study of autism spectrum disorder in preschool-aged children / Derek Sayre ANDREWS in Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 11-1 (December 2019)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders > 11-1 (December 2019) . - 32 Titre : A diffusion-weighted imaging tract-based spatial statistics study of autism spectrum disorder in preschool-aged children Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Derek Sayre ANDREWS, Auteur ; Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Sally J. ROGERS, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur ; Christine Wu NORDAHL, Auteur Article en page(s) : 32 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Anisotropy  Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnostic imaging/pathology  Brain/diagnostic imaging/pathology  Child, Preschool  Cross-Sectional Studies  Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging  Female  Humans  Image Processing, Computer-Assisted  Male  Sex Characteristics  White Matter/diagnostic imaging/pathology Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: The core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are widely theorized to result from altered brain connectivity. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) has been a versatile method for investigating underlying microstructural properties of white matter (WM) in ASD. Despite phenotypic and etiological heterogeneity, DWI studies in majority male samples of older children, adolescents, and adults with ASD have largely reported findings of decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) across several commissural, projection, and association fiber tracts. However, studies in preschool-aged children (i.e., < 30-40 months) suggest individuals with ASD have increased measures of WM FA earlier in development. METHODS: We analyzed 127 individuals with ASD (85♂, 42♀) and 54 typically developing (TD) controls (42♂, 26♀), aged 25.1-49.6 months. Voxel-wise effects of ASD diagnosis, sex, age, and their interaction on DWI measures of FA, mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD) were investigated using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) while controlling mean absolute and relative motion. RESULTS: Compared to TD controls, males and females with ASD had significantly increased measures of FA in eight clusters (threshold-free cluster enhancement p < 0.05) that incorporated several WM tracts including regions of the genu, body, and splenium of the corpus callosum, inferior frontal-occipital fasciculi, inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculi, middle and superior cerebellar peduncles, and corticospinal tract. A diagnosis by sex interaction was observed in measures of AD across six significant clusters incorporating areas of the body, genu, and splenium of the corpus collosum. In these tracts, females with ASD showed increased AD compared to TD females, while males with ASD showed decreased AD compared to TD males. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings support growing evidence that preschool-aged children with ASD have atypical measures of WM microstructure that appear to differ in directionality from alterations observed in older individuals with the condition. To our knowledge, this study represents the largest sample of preschool-aged females with ASD to be evaluated using DWI. Microstructural differences associated with ASD largely overlapped between sexes. However, differential relationships of AD measures indicate that sex likely modulates ASD neuroanatomical phenotypes. Further longitudinal study is needed to confirm and quantify the developmental relationship of WM structure in ASD. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s11689-019-9291-z Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=573 [article] A diffusion-weighted imaging tract-based spatial statistics study of autism spectrum disorder in preschool-aged children [texte imprimé] / Derek Sayre ANDREWS, Auteur ; Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Sally J. ROGERS, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur ; Christine Wu NORDAHL, Auteur . - 32. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders > 11-1 (December 2019) . - 32 Mots-clés : Anisotropy  Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnostic imaging/pathology  Brain/diagnostic imaging/pathology  Child, Preschool  Cross-Sectional Studies  Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging  Female  Humans  Image Processing, Computer-Assisted  Male  Sex Characteristics  White Matter/diagnostic imaging/pathology Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: The core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are widely theorized to result from altered brain connectivity. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) has been a versatile method for investigating underlying microstructural properties of white matter (WM) in ASD. Despite phenotypic and etiological heterogeneity, DWI studies in majority male samples of older children, adolescents, and adults with ASD have largely reported findings of decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) across several commissural, projection, and association fiber tracts. However, studies in preschool-aged children (i.e., < 30-40 months) suggest individuals with ASD have increased measures of WM FA earlier in development. METHODS: We analyzed 127 individuals with ASD (85♂, 42♀) and 54 typically developing (TD) controls (42♂, 26♀), aged 25.1-49.6 months. Voxel-wise effects of ASD diagnosis, sex, age, and their interaction on DWI measures of FA, mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD) were investigated using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) while controlling mean absolute and relative motion. RESULTS: Compared to TD controls, males and females with ASD had significantly increased measures of FA in eight clusters (threshold-free cluster enhancement p < 0.05) that incorporated several WM tracts including regions of the genu, body, and splenium of the corpus callosum, inferior frontal-occipital fasciculi, inferior and superior longitudinal fasciculi, middle and superior cerebellar peduncles, and corticospinal tract. A diagnosis by sex interaction was observed in measures of AD across six significant clusters incorporating areas of the body, genu, and splenium of the corpus collosum. In these tracts, females with ASD showed increased AD compared to TD females, while males with ASD showed decreased AD compared to TD males. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings support growing evidence that preschool-aged children with ASD have atypical measures of WM microstructure that appear to differ in directionality from alterations observed in older individuals with the condition. To our knowledge, this study represents the largest sample of preschool-aged females with ASD to be evaluated using DWI. Microstructural differences associated with ASD largely overlapped between sexes. However, differential relationships of AD measures indicate that sex likely modulates ASD neuroanatomical phenotypes. Further longitudinal study is needed to confirm and quantify the developmental relationship of WM structure in ASD. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s11689-019-9291-z Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=573

Fear Potentiated Startle in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Association With Anxiety Symptoms and Amygdala Volume / David HESSL in Autism Research, 14-3 (March 2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 14-3 (March 2021) . - p.450-463 Titre : Fear Potentiated Startle in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Association With Anxiety Symptoms and Amygdala Volume Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : David HESSL, Auteur ; Lauren E. LIBERO, Auteur ; Andrea SCHNEIDER, Auteur ; Connor M. KERNS, Auteur ; Breanna WINDER-PATEL, Auteur ; Brianna HEATH, Auteur ; Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; Cory COLEMAN, Auteur ; Natasha SHARMA, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.450-463 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Mri  anxiety  autism  autistic  fear conditioning Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Atypical responses to fearful stimuli and the presence of various forms of anxiety are commonly seen in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The fear potentiated startle paradigm (FPS), which has been studied both in relation to anxiety and as a probe for amygdala function, was carried out in 97 children aged 9-14 years including 48 (12 female) with ASD and 49 (14 female) with typical development (TD). In addition, exploratory analyses were conducted examining the association between FPS and amygdala volume as assessed with magnetic resonance imaging in a subset of the children with ASD with or without an anxiety disorder with available MRI data. While the startle latency was increased in the children with ASD, there was no group difference in FPS. FPS was not significantly associated with traditional Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or "autism distinct" forms of anxiety. Within the autism group, FPS was negatively correlated with amygdala volume. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the association between FPS and anxiety severity was significantly moderated by the size of the amygdala, such that the association between FPS and anxiety was significantly more positive in children with larger amygdalas than smaller amygdalas. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of emotional reactivity associated with ASD and the difficulties in establishing biologically meaningful probes of altered brain function. LAY SUMMARY: Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have additional problems such as anxiety that can greatly impact their lives. How these co-occurring symptoms develop is not well understood. We studied the amygdala, a region of the brain critical for processing fear and a laboratory method called fear potentiated startle for measuring fear conditioning, in children with ASD (with and without an anxiety disorder) and typically developing children. Results showed that the connection between fear conditioning and anxiety is dependent on the size of the amygdala in children with ASD. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2460 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=443 [article] Fear Potentiated Startle in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Association With Anxiety Symptoms and Amygdala Volume [texte imprimé] / David HESSL, Auteur ; Lauren E. LIBERO, Auteur ; Andrea SCHNEIDER, Auteur ; Connor M. KERNS, Auteur ; Breanna WINDER-PATEL, Auteur ; Brianna HEATH, Auteur ; Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; Cory COLEMAN, Auteur ; Natasha SHARMA, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur . - p.450-463. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 14-3 (March 2021) . - p.450-463 Mots-clés : Mri  anxiety  autism  autistic  fear conditioning Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Atypical responses to fearful stimuli and the presence of various forms of anxiety are commonly seen in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The fear potentiated startle paradigm (FPS), which has been studied both in relation to anxiety and as a probe for amygdala function, was carried out in 97 children aged 9-14 years including 48 (12 female) with ASD and 49 (14 female) with typical development (TD). In addition, exploratory analyses were conducted examining the association between FPS and amygdala volume as assessed with magnetic resonance imaging in a subset of the children with ASD with or without an anxiety disorder with available MRI data. While the startle latency was increased in the children with ASD, there was no group difference in FPS. FPS was not significantly associated with traditional Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or "autism distinct" forms of anxiety. Within the autism group, FPS was negatively correlated with amygdala volume. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the association between FPS and anxiety severity was significantly moderated by the size of the amygdala, such that the association between FPS and anxiety was significantly more positive in children with larger amygdalas than smaller amygdalas. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of emotional reactivity associated with ASD and the difficulties in establishing biologically meaningful probes of altered brain function. LAY SUMMARY: Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have additional problems such as anxiety that can greatly impact their lives. How these co-occurring symptoms develop is not well understood. We studied the amygdala, a region of the brain critical for processing fear and a laboratory method called fear potentiated startle for measuring fear conditioning, in children with ASD (with and without an anxiety disorder) and typically developing children. Results showed that the connection between fear conditioning and anxiety is dependent on the size of the amygdala in children with ASD. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2460 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=443

Hypothalamic volume is associated with dysregulated sleep in autistic and non-autistic young children / Burt HATCH in Autism, 29-11 (November 2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism > 29-11 (November 2025) . - p.2885-2897 Titre : Hypothalamic volume is associated with dysregulated sleep in autistic and non-autistic young children Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Burt HATCH, Auteur ; Derek S. ANDREWS, Auteur ; Brett D. DUFOUR, Auteur ; Shayan M. ALAVYNEJAD, Auteur ; Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; Sally J. ROGERS, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Meghan MILLER, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.2885-2897 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : autism spectrum disorder  externalizing  hypothalamus  internalizing  MRI  sleep Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep is common among autistic individuals and co-occurs with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. This study tested associations between subcortical regions implicated in sleep processes and measures of dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance in autistic and non-autistic 2- to 4-year-olds. The role of co-occurring externalizing and internalizing symptoms in these associations was also evaluated. Participants included 203 autistic (131 males, 72 females) and 92 non-autistic (49 males, 43 females) 2- to 4-year-olds who completed magnetic resonance imaging. A subscale of items from the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire, previously shown to be reliable across both autistic and non-autistic children, was used to measure dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance. Externalizing and internalizing symptoms were evaluated using the Child Behavior Checklist–Preschool. Associations between volumes for nine subcortical structures known to be implicated in sleep were separately modeled. Mediation analyses explored whether such associations could be accounted for by externalizing or internalizing symptoms. Smaller right hypothalamus volume was associated with dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance in both autistic and non-autistic children. Externalizing (but not internalizing) problems partially mediated this association. Findings implicate the right hypothalamus in sleep initiation and maintenance issues for both autistic and non-autistic young children, supporting prior evidence of its central role in sleep regulation.Lay Abstract Difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep is common among autistic individuals and often goes alongside difficulties regulating emotions and behavior during the day. Although there is a body of research suggesting that subcortical brain regions, including a brain region known as the hypothalamus, play important roles regulating sleep, few studies have examined whether this extends to young autistic children. Using data from a sample of 203 autistic (131 males, 72 females) and 92 non-autistic (49 males, 43 females) 2- to 4-year-olds, we examined whether size of subcortical brain regions implicated in sleep processes is associated with difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep. In addition, we examined whether daytime behaviors and emotions were also implicated in these associations. We found that smaller right hypothalamus volume was associated with dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance in both autistic and non-autistic children. This relationship remained evident even after accounting for externalizing behaviors and emotions like anger that were also associated with both the hypothalamus and dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance. The strength of association between right hypothalamus volumes and dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance was similar for autistic and non-autistic children. These findings suggest that for both young autistic and non-autistic children, the hypothalamus plays unique roles in regulating both sleep and externalizing behaviors. For managing sleep initiation and maintenance difficulties in clinical practice, the findings underscore the importance of considering environmental (e.g. not having a regular bedtime routine) and neurobiological factors, for both autistic and non-autistic young children. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613251352249 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=570 [article] Hypothalamic volume is associated with dysregulated sleep in autistic and non-autistic young children [texte imprimé] / Burt HATCH, Auteur ; Derek S. ANDREWS, Auteur ; Brett D. DUFOUR, Auteur ; Shayan M. ALAVYNEJAD, Auteur ; Joshua K. LEE, Auteur ; Sally J. ROGERS, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Meghan MILLER, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur . - p.2885-2897. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism > 29-11 (November 2025) . - p.2885-2897 Mots-clés : autism spectrum disorder  externalizing  hypothalamus  internalizing  MRI  sleep Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep is common among autistic individuals and co-occurs with internalizing and externalizing symptoms. This study tested associations between subcortical regions implicated in sleep processes and measures of dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance in autistic and non-autistic 2- to 4-year-olds. The role of co-occurring externalizing and internalizing symptoms in these associations was also evaluated. Participants included 203 autistic (131 males, 72 females) and 92 non-autistic (49 males, 43 females) 2- to 4-year-olds who completed magnetic resonance imaging. A subscale of items from the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire, previously shown to be reliable across both autistic and non-autistic children, was used to measure dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance. Externalizing and internalizing symptoms were evaluated using the Child Behavior Checklist–Preschool. Associations between volumes for nine subcortical structures known to be implicated in sleep were separately modeled. Mediation analyses explored whether such associations could be accounted for by externalizing or internalizing symptoms. Smaller right hypothalamus volume was associated with dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance in both autistic and non-autistic children. Externalizing (but not internalizing) problems partially mediated this association. Findings implicate the right hypothalamus in sleep initiation and maintenance issues for both autistic and non-autistic young children, supporting prior evidence of its central role in sleep regulation.Lay Abstract Difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep is common among autistic individuals and often goes alongside difficulties regulating emotions and behavior during the day. Although there is a body of research suggesting that subcortical brain regions, including a brain region known as the hypothalamus, play important roles regulating sleep, few studies have examined whether this extends to young autistic children. Using data from a sample of 203 autistic (131 males, 72 females) and 92 non-autistic (49 males, 43 females) 2- to 4-year-olds, we examined whether size of subcortical brain regions implicated in sleep processes is associated with difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep. In addition, we examined whether daytime behaviors and emotions were also implicated in these associations. We found that smaller right hypothalamus volume was associated with dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance in both autistic and non-autistic children. This relationship remained evident even after accounting for externalizing behaviors and emotions like anger that were also associated with both the hypothalamus and dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance. The strength of association between right hypothalamus volumes and dysregulated sleep initiation/maintenance was similar for autistic and non-autistic children. These findings suggest that for both young autistic and non-autistic children, the hypothalamus plays unique roles in regulating both sleep and externalizing behaviors. For managing sleep initiation and maintenance difficulties in clinical practice, the findings underscore the importance of considering environmental (e.g. not having a regular bedtime routine) and neurobiological factors, for both autistic and non-autistic young children. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/13623613251352249 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=570

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