Relationship between brain stem volume and aggression in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Autor: Lundwall RA; Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA., Stephenson KG; Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA., Neeley-Tass ES; Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA., Cox JC; Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA., South M; Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA., Bigler ED; Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA., Anderberg E; Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA., Prigge MD; University of Utah, 201 Presidents Circle, SLC, UT 84112, USA., Hansen BD; University of Utah, 201 Presidents Circle, SLC, UT 84112, USA., Lainhart JE; University of Wisconsin-Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA., Kellems RO; University of Wisconsin-Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA., Petrie JA; University of Wisconsin-Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA., Gabrielsen TP; University of Wisconsin-Madison, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Research in autism spectrum disorders [Res Autism Spectr Disord] 2017 Feb; Vol. 34, pp. 44-51. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 Dec 09.
DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2016.12.001
Abstrakt: Background: Aggressive behaviors are common in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and may be phenotypic indicators of different subtypes within ASD. In current research literature for non-ASD samples, aggression has been linked to several brain structures associated with emotion and behavioral control. However, few if any studies exist investigating brain volume differences in individuals with ASD who have comorbid aggression as indicated by standardized diagnostic and behavioral measures.
Method: We examined neuroimaging data from individuals rigorously diagnosed with ASD versus typically developing (TD) controls. We began with data from brain volume regions of interest (ROI) taken from previous literature on aggression including the brainstem, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. We defined aggression status using the Irritability subscale of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and used lasso logistic regression to select among these predictor variables. Brainstem volume was the only variable shown to be a predictor of aggression status.
Results: We found that smaller brainstem volumes are associated with higher odds of being in the high aggression group.
Conclusions: Understanding brain differences in individuals with ASD who engage in aggressive behavior from those with ASD who do not can inform treatment approaches. Future research should investigate brainstem structure and function in ASD to identify possible mechanisms related to arousal and aggression.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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