Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is characterized by common differences in motor and social behavior, is also a condition that uniquely impacts individuals. Identifying the brain characteristics that account for a variety of brain symptoms and their commonalities across all age groups has become a goal for scientists seeking to understand their causes.
The latest study by a team at the University of Rochester in New York uses advanced scanning technology to take a closer look at the density and structure of the brain’s gray matter, building on previous research on neurological changes in people with ASD. Masu.
It is often difficult to perform this type of analysis in living humans. Therefore, much of the existing data we have is based on older postmortem subjects. But new image capture and processing techniques can now also see how the brain is wired. In young people.
“We’ve spent years trying to describe the larger features of brain regions, such as their thickness, volume, and curvature,” says Zachary Christensen, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester.
“However, new techniques in the field of neuroimaging, using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to characterize cells, are revealing new levels of complexity throughout development.”
Researchers used high-contrast MRI to create detailed maps of the brains of 142 children with autism, comparing them with images taken from 8,971 controls (children without a diagnosis of autism). compared. One set of measurements was taken when the volunteers were 9 or 10 years old and followed up several years later.
The comparison revealed lower neuron density in certain areas of the cerebral cortex that are thought to be involved in our learning, reasoning, problem-solving abilities, and memory formation.
Neuron density increased in other areas. This is the case, for example, with an area called the amygdala, which scientists believe helps process emotions. Furthermore, when comparing children with autism to children with ADHD and anxiety, these differences appeared to be specific to autism.
It’s too early to say what these density differences mean, but they may help explain some of the features of autism. Importantly, new imaging methods now allow us to track the progression of symptoms.
“If we can reliably and relatively easily characterize specific deviations in neuronal structure in people with autism, this opens up many opportunities to characterize how autism develops,” Christensen said. say.
“These indicators could be used to identify patients with autism who may benefit from more specific therapeutic interventions.”
The ability to perform non-invasive brain scans with such precision and high levels of detail is relatively recent, allowing us to follow autistic patients over long periods of time to understand what autism means to their brains. Efforts to understand the changes have already begun. They see the world differently.
“Following this group of children from infancy to early adulthood is truly changing our knowledge of brain development,” said John Fox, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester.
The study is published in the journal Autism Research.
