Sex-related brain connectivity correlates of compensation in adults with autism: insights into female protection.
Sex-related brain connectivity correlates of compensation in adults with autism: insights into female protection.
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与性别相关的大脑连接与成年自闭症患者的补偿相关：对女性保护的见解。
DOI：
10.1093/cercor/bhac069
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发表时间：
2022
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Braden,BBlair
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Walsh,MelissaJM;Pagni,Broc;Monahan,Leanna;Delaney,Shanna;Smith,ChristopherJ;Baxter,Leslie;Braden,BBlair
男性在自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 中占主导地位，这导致了一种假设：女性生物学的某些方面可以预防 ASD。患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD-F）的女性报告有更多的补偿行为（即“伪装”）来克服与自闭症谱系障碍相关的社会差异，这可能是一种保护机制。尽管有可能揭示 ASD 性别偏见背后的机制，但还没有研究检查支持 ASD-F 伪装的与性别相关的大脑通路。我们使用功能连接（FC）来研究与 ASD 成人伪装相关的“非典型性别”和“典型性别”FC 模式，并通过结构连接测量检查结果的多模态一致性。与认知/情感功能的探索性关联检验了 FC 模式的适应性。我们发现（i）“性别非典型”FC模式与下丘脑和楔前叶的伪装有关，以及（ii）右前扣带回和前海马旁回的“性别典型”模式。具有边缘奖励簇的较高下丘脑 FC 也与更好的认知控制/情绪识别相关。结构连接测量法验证了 FC 结果与 ASD-F 中涉及的一致的大脑通路/效应模式。总之，“男性典型”和“女性典型”大脑连接模式支持 ASD-F 在涉及奖励、情绪和记忆检索的回路中的伪装。 “性别非典型”结果与胎儿类固醇生成/神经炎症假设一致。然而，女性遗传学/生物学可能有助于形成与伪装有关的“女性典型”模式。
The male preponderance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) led to the hypothesis that aspects of female biology are protective against ASD. Females with ASD (ASD-F) report more compensatory behaviors (i.e. “camouflaging”) to overcome ASD-related social differences, which may be a mechanism of protection. No studies have examined sex-related brain pathways supporting camouflaging in ASD-F, despite its potential to inform mechanisms underlying the ASD sex bias. We used functional connectivity (FC) to investigate “sex-atypical” and “sex-typical” FC patterns linked to camouflaging in adults with ASD and examined multimodal coherence of findings via structural connectometry. Exploratory associations with cognitive/emotional functioning examined the adaptive nature of FC patterns. We found (i) “sex-atypical” FC patterns linked to camouflaging in the hypothalamus and precuneus and (ii) “sex-typical” patterns in the right anterior cingulate and anterior parahippocampus. Higher hypothalamic FC with a limbic reward cluster also correlated with better cognitive control/emotion recognition. Structural connectometry validated FC results with consistent brain pathways/effect patterns implicated in ASD-F. In summary, “male-typical” and “female-typical” brain connectivity patterns support camouflaging in ASD-F in circuits implicated in reward, emotion, and memory retrieval. “Sex-atypical” results are consistent with fetal steroidogenic/neuroinflammatory hypotheses. However, female genetics/biology may contribute to “female-typical” patterns implicated in camouflaging.