Graph Attention Network-Based Detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Kelly, Abigail, Rimal, Ramchandra, Sainju, Arpan
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Kelly, Abigail
Rimal, Ramchandra
Sainju, Arpan
author_facet Kelly, Abigail
Rimal, Ramchandra
Sainju, Arpan
contents Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by atypical brain connectivity. One of the crucial steps in addressing ASD is its early detection. This study introduces a novel computational framework that employs an Attention-Based Graph Convolutional Network, referred to as the GATGraphClassifier, for detecting ASD. We utilize Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) repository to construct functional connectivity matrices using Pearson correlation, which captures interactions between various brain regions. These matrices are then transformed into graph representations, where the nodes and edges represent the brain regions and functional connections, respectively. The GATGraphClassifier employs attention mechanisms to identify critical connectivity patterns, thereby enhancing the model's interpretability and diagnostic accuracy. Our proposed framework demonstrates superior performance across all standard classification metrics compared to existing state-of-the-art methods. Notably, we achieved an average accuracy of 88.79\% on the test data over 30 independent runs, surpassing the benchmark model's performance by 12.27\%. In addition, we identified the crucial brain regions associated with ASD, consistent with the previous studies, and a few novel regions. This study not only contributes to the advancement of ASD detection but also shows the potential for broader adaptability of GATGraphClassifier in analyzing complex relational data in various fields, where understanding intricate connectivity and interaction patterns is essential.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_26971
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Graph Attention Network-Based Detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Kelly, Abigail
Rimal, Ramchandra
Sainju, Arpan
Applications
Machine Learning
68
I.2.6
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by atypical brain connectivity. One of the crucial steps in addressing ASD is its early detection. This study introduces a novel computational framework that employs an Attention-Based Graph Convolutional Network, referred to as the GATGraphClassifier, for detecting ASD. We utilize Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) repository to construct functional connectivity matrices using Pearson correlation, which captures interactions between various brain regions. These matrices are then transformed into graph representations, where the nodes and edges represent the brain regions and functional connections, respectively. The GATGraphClassifier employs attention mechanisms to identify critical connectivity patterns, thereby enhancing the model's interpretability and diagnostic accuracy. Our proposed framework demonstrates superior performance across all standard classification metrics compared to existing state-of-the-art methods. Notably, we achieved an average accuracy of 88.79\% on the test data over 30 independent runs, surpassing the benchmark model's performance by 12.27\%. In addition, we identified the crucial brain regions associated with ASD, consistent with the previous studies, and a few novel regions. This study not only contributes to the advancement of ASD detection but also shows the potential for broader adaptability of GATGraphClassifier in analyzing complex relational data in various fields, where understanding intricate connectivity and interaction patterns is essential.
title Graph Attention Network-Based Detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder
topic Applications
Machine Learning
68
I.2.6
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.26971