Neural Responses to a Putative Set-shifting Task in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

While much progress has been made toward understanding the neurobiology of social and communication deficits associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), less is known regarding the neurobiological basis of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) central to the ASD diagnosis. Symptom severity for RRBs in ASD is associated with cognitive inflexibility. Thus, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive inflexibility in ASD is critical for tailoring therapies to treat this understudied yet pervasive symptom.

Measuring Cognitive Flexibility with the Flexible Item Selection Task: From fMRI Adaptation to Individual Connectome Mapping.

Cognitive flexibility, the ability to appropriately adjust behavior in a changing environment, has been challenging to operationalize and validate in cognitive neuroscience studies. Here, we investigate neural activation and directed functional connectivity underlying cognitive flexibility using an fMRI-adapted version of the Flexible Item Selection Task (FIST) in adults ( = 32, ages 19-46 years). The fMRI-adapted FIST was reliable, showed comparable performance to the computer-based version of the task, and produced robust activation in frontoparietal, anterior cingulate, insular, and subcortical regions.

Parsing Heterogeneity of Executive Function in Typically and Atypically Developing Children: A Conceptual Replication and Exploration of Social Function.

Executive function (EF), the set of cognitive processes that govern goal-directed behavior, varies within developmental samples and clinical populations. Here, we perform a conceptual replication of prior work (Dajani et al. in Sci Rep 6:36566, 2016) in an independent sample of typically developing children (n = 183) and children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 104).

Parsing Heterogeneity in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with Individual Connectome Mapping.

Traditional diagnostic systems for neurodevelopmental disorders define diagnostic categories that are heterogeneous in behavior and underlying neurobiological alterations. The goal of this study was to parse heterogeneity in a core executive function (EF), cognitive flexibility, in children with a range of abilities ( = 132; children with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], and typically developing children) using directed functional connectivity profiles derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Brain regions activated in response to a cognitive flexibility task in adults were used to guide region-of-interest selection to estimate individual connectivity profiles in this study.

Investigating functional brain network integrity using a traditional and novel categorical scheme for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Background: Current diagnostic systems for neurodevelopmental disorders do not have clear links to underlying neurobiology, limiting their utility in identifying targeted treatments for individuals. Here, we aimed to investigate differences in functional brain network integrity between traditional diagnostic categories (autism spectrum disorder [ASD], attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], typically developing [TD]) and carefully consider the impact of comorbid ASD and ADHD on functional brain network integrity in a sample adequately powered to detect large effects. We also assess the neurobiological separability of a novel, potential alternative categorical scheme based on behavioral measures of executive function.

Atypical frontoamygdala functional connectivity in youth with autism.

Functional connectivity (FC) between the amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex underlies socioemotional functioning, a core domain of impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although frontoamygdala circuitry undergoes dynamic changes throughout development, little is known about age-related changes in frontoamygdala networks in ASD. Here we characterize frontoamygdala resting-state FC in a cross-sectional sample (ages 7-25) of 58 typically developing (TD) individuals and 53 individuals with ASD.

Aberrant functional connectivity of inhibitory control networks in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Development of inhibitory control is a core component of executive function processes and a key aspect of healthy development. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show impairments in performance on inhibitory control tasks. Nevertheless, the research on the neural correlates of these impairments is inconclusive.

Evolution of spatial and temporal features of functional brain networks across the lifespan.

Development and aging are associated with functional changes in the brain across the lifespan. These changes manifest in a variety of spatial and temporal features of resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) but have seldom been explored exhaustively. We present a comprehensive study assessing age-related changes in spatial and temporal features of blind-source separated components identified by independent vector analysis (IVA) in a cross-sectional lifespan sample (ages 6-85 years).

Heterogeneity of executive functions among comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders.

Executive functions (EFs) are used to set goals, plan for the future, inhibit maladaptive responses, and change behavior flexibly. Although some studies point to specific EF profiles in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - prevalent and often highly comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders - others have not differentiated them. The objective of the current study was to identify distinct profiles of EF across typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD and ADHD.

Chronnectomic patterns and neural flexibility underlie executive function.

Despite extensive research into executive function (EF), the precise relationship between brain dynamics and flexible cognition remains unknown. Using a large, publicly available dataset (189 participants), we find that functional connections measured throughout 56min of resting state fMRI data comprise five distinct connectivity states. Elevated EF performance as measured outside of the scanner was associated with greater episodes of more frequently occurring connectivity states, and fewer episodes of less frequently occurring connectivity states.

Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience.

Cognitive flexibility, the readiness with which one can selectively switch between mental processes to generate appropriate behavioral responses, develops in a protracted manner and is compromised in several prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders. It is unclear whether cognitive flexibility arises from neural substrates distinct from the executive control network (ECN) or from the interplay of nodes within this and other networks. Here we review neuroimaging studies of cognitive flexibility, focusing on set shifting and task switching.

Local brain connectivity across development in autism spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional investigation.

There is a general consensus that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by alterations in brain connectivity. Much of the neuroimaging work has focused on assessing long-range connectivity disruptions in ASD. However, evidence from both animal models and postmortem examination of the human brain suggests that local connections may also be disrupted in individuals with the disorder.