Impaired structural connectivity of socioemotional circuits in autism spectrum disorders: a diffusion tensor imaging study

Background: Abnormal white matter development may disrupt integration within neural circuits, causing particular impairments in higher-order behaviours. In autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), white matter alterations may contribute to characteristic deficits in complex socio-emotional and communication domains. Here, we used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tract based spatial statistics (TBSS) to evaluate white matter microstructure in ASD. Methods/Principal Findings: DTI scans were acquired for 19 children and adolescents with ASD (,8–18 years; mean 12.463.1) and 16 age and IQ matched controls (,8–18 years; mean 12.363.6) on a 3T MRI system. DTI values for fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity and axial diffusivity, were measured. Age by group interactions for global and voxel-wise white matter indices were examined. Voxel-wise analyses comparing ASD with controls in: (i) the full cohort (ii)