Abstract
Human and animal studies on brain functions in subjects with autism spectrum disorder have confirmed the aberrant organization of functional networks. However, little is known about the neural features underlying these impairments. Using community structure analyses (recruitment and integration), the current study explored the functional network features of individuals with autism spectrum disorder from one database (101 individuals with autism spectrum disorder and 120 healthy controls) and tested the replicability in an independent database (50 individuals with autism spectrum disorder and 74 healthy controls). Additionally, the study divided subjects into different age groups and tested the features in different subgroups. As for recruitment, subjects with autism spectrum disorder had lower coefficients in the default mode network and basal ganglia network than healthy controls. The integration results showed that subjects with autism spectrum disorder had a lower coefficient than healthy controls in the default mode network-medial frontal network and basal ganglia network-limbic networks. The results for the default mode network were mostly replicated in the independent database, but the results for the basal ganglia network were not. The results for different age groups were also analysed, and the replicability was tested in different databases. The lower recruitment in subjects with autism spectrum disorder suggests that they are less efficient at engaging these networks when performing relevant tasks. The lower integration results suggest impaired flexibility in cognitive functions in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. All these findings might explain why subjects with autism spectrum disorder show impaired brain networks and have important therapeutic implications for developing potentially effective interventions.