Patterns of Resting Cerebral Blood Flow in Autism Spectrum Disorder Associated with Sensory-Motor Dysfunction, ADHD, and Autistic Features

Authors

  • Muhammad Avais Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Bahawalpur, Pakistan Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64229/ckvhte68

Keywords:

Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Sensory-Motor Integration

Abstract

Neurological soft symptoms, motor difficulties, hyperactivity, and inattention characterize autism spectrum illnesses. These symptoms are linked to patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during rest. Nonetheless, the links are not obvious. A PET scanner was utilized to study 133 patients with ASD and 10 healthy controls with properly developing brains. In a factorial experiment, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was shown to connect with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and neurological soft symptoms. We looked at the parameters linked with "autistic/ADHD characteristics," "sensory-motor integration," and "cognitive/motor sequencing" separately. Brain regions associated with "autistic/ADHD traits" (in the bilateral caudate and inferior parietal lobule), "sensory-motor integration" (in the parieto-occipital cortex), and "intelligence/motor sequencing" (in the right temporal lobe) have a positive correlation with cerebral blood flow in people with ASD. All three parameters negatively correlated blood flow to the left thalamus and cerebral cortex. Autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have underlying brain connections. The link between "autistic/ADHD traits" and regional cerebral blood flow in the caudate nucleus might explain the executive dysfunctions and repetitive or stereotyped behaviors seen in ASD. A song's relationship with the aberrant visual perception seen in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) connects the occipital visual cortex to sensory-motor problems and regional cerebral blood flow. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is thought to be characterized by a convergence of behavioral and neurological features.

References

[1]K. I. Al-Sulaiti et al., “Research Methods for Business Students,” Int. Mark. Rev., vol. 14, no. 2, p. 656, 2010, doi: 10.4135/9781412986182.

[2]D. Hanahan and R. A. Weinberg, “Hallmarks of cancer: The next generation,” Cell, vol. 144, no. 5, pp. 646–674, Mar. 2011, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.02.013.

[3]R. M. Baron and D. A. Kenny, “The Moderator-Mediator Variable Distinction in Social Psychological Research. Conceptual, Strategic, and Statistical Considerations,” J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., vol. 51, no. 6, pp. 1173–1182, Dec. 1986, doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173.

[4]L. Zoccante, M. L. Ciceri, L. A. Gozzi, G. Di Gennaro, and N. Zerman, “The ‘connectivome theory’: a new model to understand autism Spectrum disorders,” Front. Psychiatry, vol. 12, p. 794516, 2022.

[5]H.-Y. Lin, H.-C. Ni, W.-Y. I. Tseng, and S. S.-F. Gau, “Characterizing intrinsic functional connectivity in relation to impaired self-regulation in intellectually able male youth with autism spectrum disorder,” Autism, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 1201–1216, 2020.

[6]M. Chakrabarty, “Brain correlates of cognitive-behavioural manifestations in Autism Spectrum Disorder.” IIIT-Delhi, 2022.

[7]A. Paquet, B. Olliac, B. Golse, and L. Vaivre-Douret, “Current knowledge on motor disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” Child Neuropsychol., vol. 22, no. 7, pp. 763–794, 2016.

[8]J. K. Kern, D. A. Geier, L. K. Sykes, M. R. Geier, and R. C. Deth, “Are ASD and ADHD a continuum? A comparison of pathophysiological similarities between the disorders,” J. Atten. Disord., vol. 19, no. 9, pp. 805–827, 2015.

[9]G. Leisman and R. Melillo, “Functional Disconnectivities in Autistic Spectrum Disorder as a Potent Model for Explaining Disorders of Consciousness And Cognition in the Brain and Nervous System,” Funct. Neurol. Rehabil. Ergon., vol. 1, no. 1, p. 101, 2011.

[10]S. Karavallil Achuthan, D. Stavrinos, P. Argueta, C. Vanderburgh, H. B. Holm, and R. K. Kana, “Thalamic functional connectivity and sensorimotor processing in neurodevelopmental disorders,” Front. Neurosci., vol. 17, p. 1279909, 2023.

[11]R. Coben, M. Linden, and T. E. Myers, “Neurofeedback for autistic spectrum disorder: a review of the literature,” Appl. Psychophysiol. Biofeedback, vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 83–105, 2010.

[12]B. Gepner and F. Féron, “Autism: a world changing too fast for a mis-wired brain?,” Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev., vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 1227–1242, 2009.

[13]J.-J. Paakki et al., “Alterations in regional homogeneity of resting-state brain activity in autism spectrum disorders,” Brain Res., vol. 1321, pp. 169–179, 2010.

[14]A. N. Kaczkurkin et al., “Common and dissociable regional cerebral blood flow differences associate with dimensions of psychopathology across categorical diagnoses,” Mol. Psychiatry, vol. 23, no. 10, pp. 1981–1989, 2018.

[15]Y. Yang et al., “Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates long-range functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorder,” J. Psychiatr. Res., vol. 160, pp. 187–194, 2023.

[16]N. D. Woodward, M. Giraldo-Chica, B. Rogers, and C. J. Cascio, “Thalamocortical dysconnectivity in autism spectrum disorder: An analysis of the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange,” Biol. Psychiatry Cogn. Neurosci. Neuroimaging, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 76–84, 2017.

[17]Y. Wang et al., “HD-tDCS effects on social impairment in autism spectrum disorder with sensory processing abnormalities: a randomized controlled trial,” Sci. Rep., vol. 15, no. 1, p. 9772, 2025.

[18]J. Deng, T. Lei, and X. Du, “Effects of sensory integration training on balance function and executive function in children with autism spectrum disorder: evidence from Footscan and fNIRS,” Front. Psychol., vol. 14, p. 1269462, 2023.

[19]R. Melillo et al., “Retained primitive reflexes and potential for intervention in autistic spectrum disorders,” Front. Neurol., vol. 13, p. 922322, 2022.

[20]M. W. Mosconi, Z. Wang, L. M. Schmitt, P. Tsai, and J. A. Sweeney, “The role of cerebellar circuitry alterations in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders,” Front. Neurosci., vol. 9, p. 156522, 2015.

[21]J. Zhang et al., “Neural, electrophysiological and anatomical basis of brain-network variability and its characteristic changes in mental disorders,” Brain, vol. 139, no. 8, pp. 2307–2321, 2016.

[22]S. Salloum-Asfar, A. K. Elsayed, and S. A. Abdulla, “Potential approaches and recent advances in biomarker discovery in autism spectrum disorders,” Neural Eng. Tech. autism Spectr. Disord., pp. 121–145, 2023.

[23]Y. Wang et al., “High definition transcranial direct current stimulation of the Cz improves social dysfunction in children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized, sham, controlled study,” Autism Res., vol. 16, no. 10, pp. 2035–2048, 2023.

[24]B. Sütçübaşı et al., “Differentiating Functional Connectivity Patterns in ADHD and Autism Among the Young People: A Machine Learning Solution,” J. Atten. Disord., p. 10870547251315230, 2025.

[25]D. R. A. Coelho, C. Renet, S. López-Rodríguez, P. Cassano, and W. F. Vieira, “Transcranial photobiomodulation for neurodevelopmental disorders: A narrative review,” Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., vol. 23, no. 8, pp. 1609–1623, 2024.

[26]P. M. Kidd, “Autism, an extreme challenge to integrative medicine. Part 1: The knowledge base,” Altern. Med. Rev., vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 292–316, 2002.

[27]C. Gupta et al., “Bringing machine learning to research on intellectual and developmental disabilities: taking inspiration from neurological diseases,” J. Neurodev. Disord., vol. 14, no. 1, p. 28, 2022.

[28]R. Rose’Meyer, “A review of the serotonin transporter and prenatal cortisol in the development of autism spectrum disorders,” Mol. Autism, vol. 4, pp. 1–16, 2013.

[29]Y. Lu, L. Zhang, X. Wu, F. Fei, and H. Han, “Systematic bibliometric and visualized analysis of research hotspots and trends on autism spectrum disorder neuroimaging,” Dis. Markers, vol. 2022, no. 1, p. 3372217, 2022.

[30]S. Xu et al., “Abnormal degree centrality in children with low-function Autism Spectrum disorders: a sleeping-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study,” Neuropsychiatr. Dis. Treat., vol. 18, p. 1363, 2022.

[31]E. B. Torres and K. Denisova, “Motor noise is rich signal in autism research and pharmacological treatments,” Sci. Rep., vol. 6, no. 1, p. 37422, 2016.

[32]R. Melillo, “Persistent primitive reflexes and childhood neurobehavioral disorders,” Neuroplast. Learn. Rehabil., p. 65, 2016.

[33]C.-R. Hagemann, “A sensory-motor integration programme for boys with autism spectrum disorder: two case studies.” Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University, 2014.

[34]F. Marciano et al., “Artificial intelligence: The ‘Trait D’Union’ in different analysis approaches of autism spectrum disorder studies,” Curr. Med. Chem., vol. 28, no. 32, pp. 6591–6618, 2021.

[35]R. L. Shafer, Z. Wang, J. Bartolotti, and M. W. Mosconi, “Visual and somatosensory feedback mechanisms of precision manual motor control in autism spectrum disorder,” J. Neurodev. Disord., vol. 13, pp. 1–17, 2021.

[36]T. Armstrong, Neurodiversity: Discovering the extraordinary gifts of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other brain differences. ReadHowYouWant. com, 2010.

[37]L. Zwaigenbaum and M. Penner, “Autism spectrum disorder: advances in diagnosis and evaluation,” Bmj, vol. 361, 2018.

[38]F. Fulceri, “Early motor signature in autism spectrum disorder,” 2019.

[39]B. Yakubov et al., “Cross-frequency coupling in psychiatric disorders: a systematic review,” Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev., vol. 138, p. 104690, 2022.

[40]I. Manouilenko et al., “Autistic traits, ADHD symptoms, neurological soft signs and regional cerebral blood flow in adults with autism spectrum disorders,” Res. Autism Spectr. Disord., vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 566–578, 2013.

[41]D. Tantam, Autism spectrum disorders through the life span. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2012.

[42]P. M. Kidd, “Autism, an extreme challenge to integrative medicine. Part II: Medical management,” Altern. Med. Rev., vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 472–499, 2002.

[43]X. Ma et al., “Connectome-based prediction of the severity of autism spectrum disorder,” Psychoradiology, vol. 3, p. kkad027, 2023.

[44]J.-J. Paakki, “BOLD fMRI detectable alterations of brain activity in children and adolescents on the autism spectrum,” 2023.

[45]S. Icer, S. G. Benli, K. Gumus, E. Demirci, S. Ozmen, and S. Doganay, “Can functional connectivity at resting brain in ADHD indicate the impairments in sensory-motor functions and face/emotion recognition?,” J. Med. Biol. Eng., vol. 38, pp. 138–149, 2018.

[46]S. D. Tomchek, “Characterizing sensory processing in autism spectrum disorders,” 2005.

[47]R. Melillo and G. Leisman, Neurobehavioral disorders of childhood: An evolutionary perspective. Springer Science & Business Media, 2010.

[48]Y. Yang, P. Song, and Y. Wang, “Assessing the impact of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on effective connectivity in autism spectrum disorder: An initial exploration using TMS-EEG analysis,” Heliyon, vol. 10, no. 11, 2024.

[49]J. A. Pineda, A. Juavinett, and M. Datko, “Rationale for neurofeedback training in children with Autism,” Compr. Guid. to Autism, pp. 439–460, 2014.

[50]V. Arunachalam Chandran, “Investigating the neural correlates of autistic traits using a dimensional approach.” University of Reading, 2021.

[51]A. K. Jayanthy and Q. M. U. Din, “Early detection of autism spectrum disorder using behavioral data EEG, MRI and Behavioral Data: A Review,” Assist. Technol. Interv. Healthc., pp. 245–267, 2021.

Downloads

Published

2025-08-18

Issue

Section

Articles