Objectives: We proposed to find whether administration of propranolol in ASD increases functional connectivity observed during language tasks.
Methods: Subjects with ASD and age and IQ-matched controls without neurodevepmental diagnoses were scanned using a Philips 3T Signa scanner, and a 8-channel head coil with the following parameters: TR = 3s; Flip Angle = 90; 3.75x3.75 in-plane resolution; 64x64 matrix reconstructed to 128x128; 35 axial slices; 5mm slice thickness. Subjects were instructed to respond to the meaning (semantic) or the pronunciation (phonological) of a word related to a cue word in two block-design tasks. Data was preprocessed and analyzed using SPM5.
Results: Preliminary results replicate reports that individuals with ASD have a lesser functional connectivity when compared to controls. In addition, administration of propranolol has revealed a significant increase in the functional connectivity between selected brain regions.
Conclusions: These results reveal an increased functional connectivity upon administration of propranolol in ASD. This may suggests an anatomical substrate of the effects of noradrenergic agents during tasks involving a network search within the brain.