Association of adverse childhood experiences and cortical neurite density alterations with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a source of significant social and daily distress in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Compared to typically developed (TD) individuals, people with ASD are at an increased risk of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which can result in abnormal neuronal development. However, whether or how ACEs influence abnormal neural development and PTSD symptoms in ASD has not been fully elucidated.