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. 2025 Nov:130:106110.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.106110. Epub 2025 Sep 14.

Choroid plexus alterations in autism spectrum disorder: A PET-MRI study

Ylind Lila  1 , Chieh-En Jane Tseng  2 , Emma G Johnston  3 , Camila Canales  4 , Christopher J McDougle  4 , Jacob M Hooker  5 , Nicole R Zürcher  6
Affiliations
Free article

Choroid plexus alterations in autism spectrum disorder: A PET-MRI study

Ylind Lila et al. Brain Behav Immun. 2025 Nov.
Free article

Abstract

The choroid plexus (CP), primarily known as the production site of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), constitutes one of the sites of the blood-CSF barrier and plays a unique role in inflammation propagation, serving as a key regulator of immune responses. Recent work has shown CP enlargement in neurological and psychiatric disorders with immune involvement. To investigate potential neuroimmune and structural alterations in vivo in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we assessed the CP-localized expression of mitochondrial translocator protein (TSPO) and CP volume in autistic adults. Sixty-five participants, which included 36 autistic participants and 29 non-autistic controls (CON), completed a simultaneous positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) scan with the TSPO radiotracer [11C]PBR28. The CP was segmented using subject-level anatomical scans. We observed CP volume enlargement in ASD (mean group difference: 677.8, 95 % CI [331.0, 1025.0], p = 0.0002). In particular, the CP volume of ∼30 % of autistic adults was more than 2 standard deviations above the average CP volume of CON. Exploratory analysis considering sex showed that CP volume was associated with more severe ASD symptoms in autistic males (estimated beta: 153.10, 95 % CI [50.03, 256.30], p = 0.005) and that TSPO in the CP was elevated in autistic females (mean group difference 0.12, 95 % CI [0.03, 0.21], p = 0.01). Our findings reveal volumetric alterations of the human CP in ASD, providing novel insights into the involvement of the CP in ASD.

Keywords: Autism; Choroid plexus; Neuroimmune; PET-MRI; Translocator protein; Volumetric.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: JMH is co-founder of and equity holder in Eikonizo Therapeutics and Sensorium Therapeutics, where he also serves as CEO. He is an advisor to Rocket Science Health, Human Health, Delix Therapeutics and Psy Therapeutics. CJM is a paid consultant for Acadia Pharmaceuticals and receives royalty payments from Oxford University Press and Springer Publishing. All other authors have nothing to disclose.