Basal Forebrain Involvement in Low-Functioning Autistic Children: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

American Journal of Neuroradiology

Download figure
Open in new tab
Download powerpoint
Fig 1.
Basal forebrain and accumbens nucleus volume differences between groups. GM volume differences between groups, overlaid on T1 images (consecutive coronal sections, rostral to caudal) showing the involvement of accumbens nucleus and basal forebrain. The relative decrease in GM attenuation observed in autistic subjects compared with controls is represented in a red-orange color scale. The statistical threshold is P < .05 (FDR corrected). L = left; R = right.
Download figure
Open in new tab
Download powerpoint
Fig 2.
GM volume differences between groups. GM volume differences between groups, overlaid on T1 images. The relative decrease in GM attenuation observed in autistic subjects compared with controls is represented in a red-orange color scale. The statistical threshold is P < .05 (FDR corrected).

Table 1:

Total intracranial volumes in ASD and control groups

Table 2:

GM regions significantly reduced (P < .05 FDR corrected) in the autistic group by comparison with the controls

Anatomic Location	Talairach Coordinates Center of Cluster, x y z	Peak of Significance (t score)	Cluster size (No. of voxels)
Basal forebrain, nucleus accumbens	0 1 −2	4.05	1282
Supplementary motor area (BA6)	2 −1 47	4.12	699
Left insula, left putamen, left perisylvian cortex (BA48)	−43 −2 13	5.37	6945
Right insula, right putamen, right perisylvian cortex (BA48)	34 −2 14	5.42	8266
Left cerebellum	−26 −58 −37	5.56	6452
Right cerebellum	23 −55 −39	5.29	10,441
Left DLPFC (BA47)	−44 15 34	4.93	1513
Left inferior temporal gyrus (BA20)	−46 −40 −14	5.40	1708
Left middle temporal gyrus (BA21) and left superior temporal gyrus (BA22)	−56 −19 −2	5.96	2844
Left precuneus (BA7)	−1 −68 34	5.78	1225
Left occipito-basal cortex (BA18)	−14 −78 −18	5.48	359
Left inferior frontal gyrus (BA44)	−39 22 2	5.39	276
Right postcentral cortex (BA1,2,3), right inferior parietal lobe (BA40)	41 −33 40	5.35	1382

Note:—All labels are derived from the Anatomical Automatic Atlas. The x, y, z coordinates are the Talairach coordinates of the center of each 3D cluster.⁴³ BAs also are provided.