Title: Specific brainstem nuclei associated with core autism features
Legend: Looking at brain scans of 145 autistic and non-autistic children and testing our results again in 45 autistic and non-autistic adolescents, we found that the parvicellular reticular formation-alpha, a part of the brainstem thought to be involved in chewing, digesting food, heart rate, and breathing was related to individual differences in social communication in autistic children (A). Another part of the brainstem, the lateral parabrachial nucleus, thought to be involved in processing painful sensations was associated with preferring things not to change and preferring to stick with certain routines (B). Finally, the ventral tegmental parabrachial pigmented complex, a brainstem region thought to be involved in reward, motivation, and cognition, was found to be related to social communication, but only in the childhood sample (C). *denotes significance at the level of p<.05 FDR-corrected.
Citation: Travers, B. G., Surgent, O., Guerrero-Gonzalez, J., Dean, D. C., 3rd, Adluru, N., Kecskemeti, S. R., Kirk, G. R., Alexander, A. L., Zhu, J., Skaletski, E. C., Naik, S., & Duran, M. (2024). Role of autonomic, nociceptive, and limbic brainstem nuclei in core autism features. Autism Research, 17(2), 266–279. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3096
Abstract: Although multiple theories have speculated about the brainstem reticular formation’s involvement in autistic behaviors, the in vivo imaging of brainstem nuclei needed to test these theories has proven technologically challenging. Using methods to improve brainstem imaging in children, this study set out to elucidate the role of the autonomic, nociceptive, and limbic brainstem nuclei in the autism features of 145 children (74 autistic children, 6.0-10.9 years). Participants completed an assessment of core autism features and diffusion- and T1-weighted imaging optimized to improve brainstem images. After data reduction via principal component analysis, correlational analyses examined associations among autism features and the microstructural properties of brainstem clusters. Independent replication was performed in 43 adolescents (24 autistic, 13.0-17.9 years). We found specific nuclei, most robustly the parvicellular reticular formation-alpha (PCRtA) and to a lesser degree the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB) and ventral tegmental parabrachial pigmented complex (VTA-PBP), to be associated with autism features. The PCRtA and some of the LPB associations were independently found in the replication sample, but the VTA-PBP associations were not. Consistent with theoretical perspectives, the findings suggest that individual differences in pontine reticular formation nuclei contribute to the prominence of autistic features. Specifically, the PCRtA, a nucleus involved in mastication, digestion, and cardio-respiration in animal models, was associated with social communication in children, while the LPB, a pain-network nucleus, was associated with repetitive behaviors. These findings highlight the contributions of key autonomic brainstem nuclei to the expression of core autism features.
Investigator: Brittany G. Travers, PhD
About the Lab: About the Lab: The Motor Brain and Development Lab is dedicated to advancing knowledge about motor development, brain development, and independent living skills to promote and enhance quality of life for individuals with and without developmental disorders. Our current projects specialize in examining motor and brain development in individuals on the autism spectrum.