Background The majority of research effort into autism has been dedicated to understanding mechanisms during early development. As a consequence, research on the broader life course of an autism spectrum condition (ASC) has largely been neglected and almost nothing is known about ASC beyond middle age. Differences in brain connectivity that arise during early development may be maintained across the lifespan and may play protective or detrimental roles in older age. Method This study explored age-related differences in functional connectivity across middle and older age in clinically diagnosed autistic adults (n = 44, 30-73 years) and in an age-matched typical comparison group (n = 45). Results The results indicated parallel age-related associations in ASC and typical aging for the local efficiency and connection strength of the default mode network and for the segregation of the frontoparietal control network. In contrast, group differences in visual network connectivity are compatible with a safeguarding interpretation of less age-related decline in brain function in ASC. This divergence was mirrored in different associations between visual network connectivity and reaction time variability in the ASC and comparison group. Limitations The study is cross-sectional and may be affected by cohort effects. As all participants received their autism diagnosis in adulthood, this might hinder generalizability. Conclusion These results highlight the complexity of aging in ASC with both parallel and divergent trajectories across different aspects of functional network organization.

中文翻译：

---

中年和老年自闭症患者功能性脑组织的年龄变化和年龄不变特征。


背景 对自闭症的大部分研究工作都致力于了解早期发育过程中的机制。因此，对自闭症谱系疾病 (ASC) 更广泛生命历程的研究在很大程度上被忽视，而且对中年以后的 ASC 几乎一无所知。早期发育过程中出现的大脑连接差异可能会在整个生命周期中持续存在，并可能在老年时发挥保护或有害作用。方法 本研究探讨了临床诊断的自闭症成人（n = 44、30-73 岁）和年龄匹配的典型对照组（n = 45）中老年人功能连接的年龄相关差异。结果 结果表明，ASC 中存在与年龄相关的并行关联，以及默认模式网络的局部效率和连接强度以及额顶控制网络的分离的典型老化。相比之下，视觉网络连接的群体差异与 ASC 中与年龄相关的脑功能下降较少的保护性解释是一致的。这种差异反映在 ASC 组和对照组的视觉网络连接性和反应时间变异性之间的不同关联中。局限性 该研究是横断面研究，可能受到队列效应的影响。由于所有参与者都在成年后接受了自闭症诊断，这可能会妨碍普遍性。结论 这些结果凸显了 ASC 老化的复杂性，在功能网络组织的不同方面具有平行和不同的轨迹。