Local Cortical Gyrification is Increased in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, but Decreases Rapidly in Adolescents

Extensive MRI evidence indicates early brain overgrowth in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Local gyrification may reflect the distribution and timing of aberrant cortical expansion in ASDs. We examined MRI data from (Study 1) 64 individuals with ASD and 64 typically developing (TD) controls (7-19 years), and from (Study 2) an independent sample from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (n = 31/group). Local Gyrification Index (lGI), cortical thickness (CT), and surface area (SA) were measured. In Study 1, differences in lGI (ASD > TD) were found in left parietal and temporal and right frontal and temporal regions. lGI decreased bilaterally with age, but more steeply in ASD in left precentral, right lateral occipital, and middle frontal clusters. CT differed between groups in right perisylvian cortex (TD > ASD), but no differences were found for SA. Partial correlations between lGI and CT were generally negative, but associations were weaker in ASD in several clusters. Study 2 results were consistent, though less extensive. Altered gyrification may reflect unique information about the trajectory of cortical development in ASDs. While early overgrowth tends to be undetectable in later childhood in ASDs, findings may indicate that a trace of this developmental abnormality could remain in a disorder-specific pattern of gyrification.