Brain gray matter alterations and associated demographic profiles in adults with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies

Abstract

Background: There is increasing evidence that children with autism spectrum disorder are accompanied by specific anatomical alterations. However, the anatomical abnormalities in adults with autism spectrum disorder are poorly understood. This study was aimed to identify the neuroanatomical substrates underlying the pathophysiology of adults with autism spectrum disorder. We also investigated the relationship between neuroanatomical alterations and clinical and demographic characteristics. Methods: A total of 13 datasets were enrolled, of which 12 studies compared whole-brain differences of 382 adult patients with autism and 393 healthy control subjects. We conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively estimate regional gray matter volume abnormalities in individuals with autism using the effect-size signed differential mapping. Results: The voxel-wise meta-analysis revealed that relative to controls, adults with autism spectrum disorder had significantly increased gray matter volume in the middle temporal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus, and reduced gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex and cerebellum. Variations in gray matter volume were significantly associated with the mean age and mean total IQ score of the patients, as well as with the percentage of male patients with autism. Conclusion: These findings confirmed that the neuroanatomical alterations in the fronto-temporal cortices, limbic system and cerebellum in adult individuals with autism were different from the children and young adolescent’s autism. The effects of demographic characteristics on the brain morphological changes allow us to further clarify the neurobiological mechanisms and developmental trajectory in adult population with autism spectrum disorder.