AUTHOR=Ramos Taiane Coelho , Balardin Joana Bisol , Sato João Ricardo , Fujita André TITLE=Abnormal Cortico-Cerebellar Functional Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder JOURNAL=Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience VOLUME=12 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2018.00074 DOI=10.3389/fnsys.2018.00074 ISSN=1662-5137 ABSTRACT=

The cerebral cortex and the cerebellum are spatially remote areas that are connected by complex circuits that link both primary and associative areas. Previous studies have revealed abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, it is not clear whether cortico-cerebellar connectivity is differentially manifested in the disorder. To explore this issue, we investigated differences in intrinsic cortico-cerebellar functional connectivity between individuals with typical development (TD) and those with ASD. To this end, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of 708 subjects under a resting state protocol provided by the ABIDE I Consortium. We found that people with ASD had diminished functional connectivity between the cerebellum and the following cortical regions: (i) right fusiform gyrus, (ii) right postcentral gyrus, (iii) right superior temporal gyrus, (iv) right middle temporal gyrus, and (v) left middle temporal gyrus. All of these regions are involved in many cognitive systems that contribute to commonly affected functions in ASD. For right fusiform gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, and left middle temporal gyrus, we reproduced the results in an independent cohort composed of 585 subjects of the ABIDE II Consortium. Our results points toward a consistent atypical cortico-cerebellar connectivity in ASD.