Quantitative High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging (HARDI) Assessment of the Auditory Radiation in Autism

Jeffrey I. Berman¹, ², Matthew R. Lanza¹, Lisa Blaskey¹, Timothy P. Roberts¹, ²

Quantitative assessment of the auditory radiation with diffusion MRI may improve our understanding of the neurobiological basis of ASD. This study applies quantitative HARDI fiber tracking of the auditory radiation to determine microstructural changes in ASD. This study included 10 typically developing (TD) children (mean age 11.8 2.2 years) and 13 children (mean age 11.9 2.7 yrs) diagnosed with ASD. Probabilistic HARDI fiber tracking using the solid-angle q-ball reconstruction was used to delineate auditory radiations. Significant changes in the hemispheric asymmetry of GFA, FA, and transverse diffusivity were detected between the typically developing and ASD subjects.