Abnormal Development of the Corpus Callosum in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An MRI Study

Abstract

Abstract Background: Altered size in the corpus callosum (CC) has been reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but few studies have investigated younger children. Moreover, knowledge about the age-related changes in CC size in individuals with ASD is limited. Objectives: Our objective was to investigate the age-related size of the CC and compare them with age-matched healthy controls between the ages of 2 and 18 years. Methods: Structural-weighted images were acquired in 97 male patients diagnosed with ASD; published data were used for the control group. The CC was segmented into 7 distinct subregions (rostrum, genu, rostral body, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, isthmus, and splenium) as per Witelson's technique using ITK-SNAP software. We calculated both the total length and volume of the CC as well as the length and height of its 7 subregions. The length of the CC measures was studied as both continuous and categorical forms. For the continuous form, Pearson's correlation was used, while categorical forms were based on age ranges reflecting brain expansion during early postnatal years. Differences in CC measures between adjacent age groups in individuals with ASD were assessed using a Student t-test. Mean and standard deviation scores were compared between ASD and control groups using the Welch t-test. Results: Age showed a moderate positive association with the total length of the CC (r = 0.43; P adj = 0.003) among individuals with ASD. Among the subregions, a positive association was observed only in the anterior midbody of the CC (r = 0.41; P adj = 0.01). No association was found between the age and the height of individual subregions or with the total volume of the CC. In comparison with healthy controls, individuals with ASD exhibited shorter lengths and heights of the genu and splenium of the CC across wide age ranges. Conclusion: Overall, our results highlight a distinct abnormal developmental trajectory of CC in ASD, particularly in the genu and splenium structures, potentially reflecting underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that warrant further investigation.