[Article] Large-scale associations between the leukocyte transcriptome and BOLD responses to speech differ in autism early language outcome subtypes
Summary: Researchers identified a large-scale association between multiple coordinated blood leukocyte gene coexpression modules and the multivariate fMRI response to speech. Associated coexpression modules were enriched in genes that are broadly expressed in the brain and many other tissues. These coexpression modules were also enriched in ASD-associated, prenatal, human-specific, and language-relevant genes. This work highlights distinctive neurobiology in ASD subtypes with different early language outcomes that is present well before such outcomes are known.