Atypical transient network states of autism spectrum disorder: resting-state fMRI study using co-activation pattern

Static features of the executive control network (ECN), dorsal attention network (DAN), default mode network (DMN), and salience network (SN) have displayed dysfunction in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, research on the dynamic brain function of these networks in ASD is rare. In this study, co-activation pattern (CAP) analysis was performed on the whole cortex to study dynamic dysfunction in ASD using a large multisite resting-state fMRI dataset (295 ASDs, 446 healthy controls). Eight transient network states (TNSs) were defined, the dwell time, persistence, and transitions of each TNS were calculated to evaluate dynamic brain function. Using hierarchical clustering, the eight TNSs were divided into three clusters: ‘DMN activating’, ‘SN activating’, and ‘ECN and DAN activating’. We found ‘ASD-biased’ DMN and SN TNSs, which showed larger dwell time and longer persistence in ASD group than healthy control (CON) group. More transition within ‘ASD-biased’ TNSs were found in ASD group. Dwell time of the ‘ASD-biased’ ‘SN activating’ TNS was significantly correlated with social deficits only in the ASD group. Our results imply the dynamic dysfunction of ASD does not come from the occurrence of DMN, ECN, or SN, but comes from the atypical co-activation patterns within them. Our results also indicate people with ASD have stronger negative connectivity between DMN and ECN in childhood. This connection dosen’t change significantly with age in ASD group, but is supposed to increase with age until adulthood as the growth trajectory in healthy inviduals, which implies the early overgrowth of ASD children.