The relevance of subplate modifications to connectivity in the cerebral cortex of individuals with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been widely described as a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by connectional changes within the cerebral cortex. These alterations to connectivity are thought to underlie many of the behavioral and neurophysiological findings that characterize the disorder. Suggestions of altered connectivity are not unique to ASD, but have also been hypothesized as being a key component in epilepsy, Down syndrome, and schizophrenia.Here we discuss other disorders characterized by disconnectivity andASD’s neuropathological relationship to these disconnectivity syndromes. One potentially important understudied contributor to disconnectivity in ASD is the cortical subplate. The subplate is a neurodevelopmental compartment that precedes the establishment of the cerebral cortex and that has been shown to be responsible for guiding a multitude of long-range connections within the brain. Although largely transitory during development, some subplate neurons persist into adulthood where they may play a role in gating activity within the overlying cortex and establishing synchronized activity between cortical regions. Findings in ASD suggest that the subplate may be an important contributor to alterations in cortical organization, but the complete nature of this contribution has yet to be explored.