Limited somatosensory functional connectivity differences in youth with ASD, at rest
Abstract
Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder typically experience sensory sensitivities, involving over- and/or under-reactions to sensory stimuli. Tactile hyper-reactivity, in particular, is implicated in negative outcomes such as aversion to oral hygiene, dietary issues, and self-harm. Presently, there is no established overarching neurological basis for these sensitivities in autism. Understanding the underlying causes of these sensitivities may help guide pharmacological and behavioural interventions. Motivated by suggested linkages between over-connectivity measures and negative outcomes in ASD, this thesis used resting-state functional-MRI to examine somatosensory functional connectivity differences in youth with autism. Connectivity differences, arising in the somatosensory region, may represent a good marker of sensory sensitivities in ASD. Our findings show limited functional connectivity differences in ASD, and scarce changes in age by diagnosis interaction or autism symptom severity. This suggests that functional connectivity of the somatosensory network in youth with autism is not disrupted, at rest, compared to neurotypical controls.
Description
Keywords
Human Development, Radiology, Engineering--Biomedical, Psychology--Developmental
Citation
Cechmanek, B. (2017). Limited somatosensory functional connectivity differences in youth with ASD, at rest (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26766