Atypical Relations Between Default, Dorsal Attention, and Frontoparietal Control Networks in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviours. We used resting-state functional connectivity fMRI to investigate three intrinsic brain networks which subserve domains of behaviour known to be impacted in ASD; the antagonistic “default” and “dorsal attention” networks – which subserve internally and externally directed cognition, respectively – and the “frontoparietal control” network which flexibly couples with either default or dorsal attention networks in order to dynamically direct the locus of attention. Using a novel method to compare the hierarchical organization of networks between groups, we found atypical organization of the three networks in ASD, including a fractionation of the frontoparietal control network and attenuation of the anticorrelation between default and dorsal attention networks. These results suggest that ASD is associated with atypical hierarchical organization of large-scale intrinsic brain networks, potentially contributing to cognitive and behavioral symptoms.