White Matter Tract Changes Associated with Clinical Improvement in an Open-Label Trial Assessing Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood for Treatment of Young Children with Autism.
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized
by social communication deficits and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive
behaviors. We have previously reported significant improvements in behavior, including
increased social functioning, improved communication abilities, and decreased clinical
symptoms in children with ASD, following treatment with a single infusion of autologous
cord blood in a phase I open-label trial. In the current study, we aimed to understand
whether these improvements were associated with concurrent changes in brain structural
connectivity. Twenty-five 2- to 6-year-old children with ASD participated in this
trial. Clinical outcome measures included the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II
Socialization Subscale, Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test-4, and the Clinical
Global Impression-Improvement Scale. Structural connectivity was measured at baseline
and at 6 months in a subset of 19 children with 25-direction diffusion tensor imaging
and deterministic tractography. Behavioral improvements were associated with increased
white matter connectivity in frontal, temporal, and subcortical regions (hippocampus
and basal ganglia) that have been previously shown to show anatomical, connectivity,
and functional abnormalities in ASD. The current results suggest that improvements
in social communication skills and a reduction in symptoms in children with ASD following
treatment with autologous cord blood infusion were associated with increased structural
connectivity in brain networks supporting social, communication, and language abilities.
Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2019;8:138&10.
Type
Journal articleSubject
HippocampusBasal Ganglia
Fetal Blood
Humans
Communication
Autistic Disorder
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Male
Social Skills
White Matter
Autism Spectrum Disorder
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/24581Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1002/sctm.18-0251Publication Info
Carpenter, Kimberly LH; Major, Samantha; Tallman, Catherine; Chen, Lyon W; Franz,
Lauren; Sun, Jessica; ... Dawson, Geraldine (2019). White Matter Tract Changes Associated with Clinical Improvement in an Open-Label Trial
Assessing Autologous Umbilical Cord Blood for Treatment of Young Children with Autism.
Stem cells translational medicine, 8(2). pp. 138-147. 10.1002/sctm.18-0251. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/24581.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Kimberly Carpenter
Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Dr. Kimberly Carpenter is a clinical neuroscientist specializing in understanding
complex brain-behavior relationships in young children with autism and associated
disorders. Her program of research includes four interrelated research themes: (1)
Understanding the impact of comorbid disorders on clinical and behavioral outcomes
of young autistic children; (2) Identification of early risk factors for the development
of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders; (3) Identification of brain-b
Geraldine Dawson
William Cleland Distinguished Professor
Geraldine Dawson is the William Cleland Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences at Duke University, where she also is a Professor of Pediatrics
and Psychology & Neuroscience. Dawson also is the Director of the Duke Center for
Autism and Brain Development, an NIH Autism Center of Excellence, which is an interdisciplinary
research program and clinic, aimed to improve the lives of those diagnosed with autism
through research, education, clinical services, and poli
Lauren Franz
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Dr Franz's research focuses on improving access to evidence-based services and support
for neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism, in diverse, low-resource, local
and global communities.
Joanne Kurtzberg
Jerome S. Harris Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Kurtzberg is an internationally renowned expert in pediatric hematology/oncology,
pediatric blood and marrow transplantation, umbilical cord blood banking and transplantation,
and novel applications of cord blood and birthing tissues in the emerging fields of
cellular therapies and regenerative medicine. Dr. Kurtzberg serves as the Director
of the Marcus Center for Cellular Cures (MC3), Director of the Pediatric Transplant
and Cellular Therapy Program, Director of the Carolina
Allen W Song
Professor in Radiology
The research in our lab is concerned with advancing structural and functional MRI
methodologies (e.g. fast and high-resolution imaging techniques) for human brain imaging.
We also aim to improve our understanding of functional brain signals, including spatiotemporal
characterizations of the blood oxygenation level dependent contrast and alternative
contrast mechanisms that are more directly linked to the neuronal activities. Additional
effort is invested in applying and validating the de
Jessica Muller Sun
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
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