Study Finds Shared Brain Signature Across Autism Variants

New research from the University of Minnesota Medical School suggests that different genetic forms of autism may lead to similar patterns in brain activity and behavior. The findings were recently published in Nature Neuroscience. 

Using brain-recording technology, the research team observed neurons across the entire brain to explore whether different genetic forms of autism share patterns and establish commonalities in neural responses. They found that, despite genetic differences, various forms may show a similar unique pattern of brain activity - also known as a brain signature.

We hope this research will serve as a stepping stone linking genetic differences and behavioral atypicalities."

Jean-Paul Noel, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School

The study found that preclinical models with autism-linked genetic mutations struggled to adjust their expectations -or their predicted state of the world in the immediate future - based on new information when making decisions. Unlike typical models that could update their expectations more flexibly, they relied more heavily on the front part of the brain and less on sensory areas. As a result, their brains focused more on long-term expectation differences, but their sensory systems had trouble distinguishing between predictable and unpredictable sensory stimuli. 

The particular circuit this research uncovered appears to drive behavioral anomalies in all three preclinical models of autism tested. This feedback projection from frontal areas to visual cortex will be studied in more detail in subsequent projects.

This research was supported by grants from the Wellcome Trust, Simons Foundation, National Institutes of Health [grant R00NS128075], a Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative Pilot Grant, the University of Minnesota Clinical and Translational Science Institute and a Sloan Research fellowship.