BACKGROUND Recent advances in techniques using functional magnetic resonance imaging data demonstrate individually specific variation in brain architecture in healthy individuals. To our knowledge, the effects of individually specific variation in complex brain disorders have not been previously reported. METHODS We developed a novel approach (Personalized Intrinsic Network Topography, PINT) for localizing individually specific resting-state networks using conventional resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Using cross-sectional data from participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 393) and typically developing (TD) control participants (n = 496) across 15 sites, we tested: 1) effect of diagnosis and age on the variability of intrinsic network locations and 2) whether prior findings of functional connectivity differences in persons with ASD compared with TD persons remain after PINT application. RESULTS We found greater variability in the spatial locations of resting-state networks within individuals with ASD compared with those in TD individuals. For TD persons, variability decreased from childhood into adulthood and increased in late life, following a U-shaped pattern that was not present in those with ASD. Comparison of intrinsic connectivity between groups revealed that the application of PINT decreased the number of hypoconnected regions in ASD. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide a new framework for measuring altered brain functioning in neurodevelopmental disorders that may have implications for tracking developmental course, phenotypic heterogeneity, and ultimately treatment response. We underscore the importance of accounting for individual variation in the study of complex brain disorders.

中文翻译：

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自闭症谱系障碍的个性化内在网络拓扑图和功能连接缺陷


背景技术使用功能磁共振成像数据的技术的最新进展证明了健康个体的大脑结构的个体特异性变化。据我们所知，个体特异性变异对复杂脑部疾病的影响此前尚未有报道。方法我们开发了一种新颖的方法（个性化内在网络拓扑，PINT），用于使用传统的静息态功能磁共振成像扫描来定位个体特定的静息态网络。使用来自 15 个地点的自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD；n = 393) 参与者和典型发育 (TD) 对照参与者 (n = 496) 的横断面数据，我们测试了：1) 诊断和年龄对内在变异的影响网络位置；2) 在 PINT 应用后，ASD 患者与 TD 患者之间功能连接差异的先前发现是否仍然存在。结果我们发现，与 TD 个体相比，自闭症谱系障碍个体的静息态网络的空间位置存在更大的变异性。对于 TD 人群，变异性从童年到成年逐渐减少，并在晚年增加，遵循 U 形模式，而 ASD 患者则不存在这种模式。组间内在连通性的比较表明，PINT 的应用减少了 ASD 中低连通区域的数量。结论我们的结果为测量神经发育障碍中大脑功能的改变提供了一个新的框架，这可能对跟踪发育过程、表型异质性和最终的治疗反应具有影响。我们强调在复杂脑部疾病研究中考虑个体差异的重要性。