Disrupted Functional Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Dear Colleagues,

It has been well established that functional connectivity in the brain of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is often disrupted. Since 2004, the prevailing hypothesis has been that long-range functional connectivity is abnormally reduced in ASD, while local (short-range) functional connectivity is abnormally increased. Over the past few years, it has emerged that the data suggest a far less simplistic picture. Results seem to depend on methodology, paradigms chosen, brain imaging method used, age group, and definitions used for the term “local”, among other factors. Since all brain function is essentially rooted in functional connectivity, it is imperative that we develop a more comprehensive and detailed picture of the nature of functional connectivity abnormalities in ASD in order to advance the field.

We invite contributions of original research and reviews to this Special Issue, which will take a broad view to examine disrupted functional connectivity in ASD. We welcome contributions from a variety of methods and approaches, and encourage contributions with negative results, as well as contributions with results that are seemingly contradictory to prior findings. Reviews and hypothesis papers are also encouraged.

I look forward to your submission to this exciting Special Issue.

Dr. Tal Kenet
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.