Functional connectivity links with autism, not ADHD; and more

Connectivity correlates: A new study found a relationship between whole-brain intrinsic functional connectivity and autism traits in children with clinical diagnoses of autism, but it did not find a similar relationship in children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Specifically, the investigators noted that the greater the connectivity between the middle frontal gyrus of the frontoparietal network and the posterior cingulate cortex of the default mode network, the more severe were children’s autism traits. The presence or absence of ADHD traits did not affect the relationship. The authors point out that functional connectivity typically decreases during childhood development. Thus, they suggest, altered maturation in this realm may be a key contributor to autism traits. Molecular Psychiatry

More autism research we spotted:

• “Transcriptional and epigenetic targets of MEF2C in human microglia contribute to cellular functions related to autism risk and age-related disease” Nature Immunology
• “Developmental CA2 perineuronal net reduction restores social memory in SHANK3 mutant mice” bioRxiv
  See also: “Webbing around neurons altered in autism mouse models”
• “Age-related differences in axon pruning and myelination may alter neural signaling in autism spectrum disorder” Molecular Autism
• “Captopril restores microglial homeostasis and reverses ASD-like phenotype in a model of ASD induced by exposure in utero to anti-CASPR2 IgG” Molecular Psychiatry
  See also: “Auto-antibodies shape brain development in myriad ways”

• “Later age of autism diagnosis in children with multiple co-occurring psychiatric disorders” medRxiv
• “CRISPR-engineered deletion of POGZ alters transcription factor binding at promoters of genes involved in synaptic signaling” bioRxiv