Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41885009›Full record

ArticleAutism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research2026

Decreased BOLD Signal Variability in Middle-Aged and Older Adults on the Autism Spectrum.

Stephanie Pedrahita, Annika Linke, Michaela Cordova, Molly Wilkinson, Janice Hau, Gioia Toro, Kalekirstos Alemu, Jiwandeep Kohli, Ralph-Axel Müller, Ruth Carper

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Decreased BOLD Signal Variability in Middle-Aged and Older Adults on the Autism Spectrum.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Stephanie PedrahitaDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-7659-0452
Annika LinkeDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Michaela CordovaDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Molly WilkinsonDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Janice HauDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6919-1971
Gioia ToroDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Kalekirstos AlemuDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Jiwandeep KohliDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Ralph-Axel MüllerDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
Ruth CarperDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.

Funding

The Research Infrastructure Core of SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities ResearchU54MD012397 · NIMHD · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI GUADALUPE X AYALA · 2018 to 2026
$39.0M
Building Capacity and Infrastructure for Population Health and Health Disparities Research at San Diego State UniversityS21MD010690 · NIMHD · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · PI AYALA, GUADALUPE X, CASTILLO, JOSE E · 2016 to 2020
$10.0M
NIMHD NIH HHS S21 MD010690NIMHD NIH HHS S21MD010690NIMHD NIH HHS U54 MD012397NIMHD NIH HHS U54MD012397NIMH NIH HHS R01-MH103494
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk for early-onset cognitive and neurological decline in ASD. While brain development in children, adolescents, and young adults with ASD diverges from neurotypical (NT) peers, it remains unclear in older adults with ASD. Understanding age-related changes of brain function in ASD is crucial to establish best practices for cognitive and health screenings and develop interventions that might reduce the risk of accelerated decline. Decreases in blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal variability (BSV) in typical aging have been shown across multiple studies and are associated with poorer cognitive performance. We hypothesized that adults with ASD would show reduced BSV compared to the NT group, with steeper negative age associations in the ASD than NT group. The study assessed BSV during resting state fMRI in adults (40-70 years), 28 with ASD and 39 age-matched NT. General linear models tested diagnostic group, age, and group-by-age interactions, controlling for motion. Significant group-by-age interactions were observed for the right insular, left temporal occipital fusiform, right frontal orbital, and right inferior lateral occipital cortex, with BSV showing strong negative associations with age in the ASD but not NT adults. These findings suggest that BSV decreases may occur earlier in adults with ASD compared to their NT peers. This would be consistent with accelerated aging; however, additional longitudinal analyses are necessary to determine if the results presented truly reflect accelerated aging or arise from lifelong persistent differences in brain function.

Indexed as

AgingAutism Spectrum DisorderBrainMagnetic Resonance ImagingOxygenAdultAgedBrain MappingFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOxygenagingautism spectrum disorderbold signal variabilitydevelopmentresting state fMRI

Identifiers

PMID41885009
PMCPMC13087830

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.