Laboratory for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy; Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Lisa Eyler
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States; VISN 22 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, United States
Adrienne Moore
Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
Michael Datko
Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
Cynthia Carter Barnes
Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
Debra Cha
Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
Eric Courchesne
Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
Karen Pierce
Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
Social visual engagement difficulties are hallmark early signs of autism (ASD) and are easily quantified using eye tracking methods. However, it is unclear how these difficulties are linked to atypical early functional brain organization in ASD. With resting state fMRI data in a large sample of ASD toddlers and other non-ASD comparison groups, we find ASD-related functional hypoconnnectivity between ‘social brain’ circuitry such as the default mode network (DMN) and visual and attention networks. An eye tracking-identified ASD subtype with pronounced early social visual engagement difficulties (GeoPref ASD) is characterized by marked DMN-occipito-temporal cortex (OTC) hypoconnectivity. Increased DMN-OTC hypoconnectivity is also related to increased severity of social-communication difficulties, but only in GeoPref ASD. Early and pronounced social-visual circuit hypoconnectivity is a key underlying neurobiological feature describing GeoPref ASD and may be critical for future social-communicative development and represent new treatment targets for early intervention in these individuals.
