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Atypical white matter possible precursor to autism
Wolff JJ. Am J Psychiatry. 2012;doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.11091447.
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White matter pathways that develop atypically may contribute to autism, according to a study from the department of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Jason J. Wolff, PhD, and colleagues at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities examined the white matter fiber tract organization of 92 infants who were considered high risk because a sibling had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The researchers used diffusion tensor imaging to track white matter development at ages 6, 12 and/or 24 months, besides performing a behavioral assessment at 24 months of age. After the behavioral assessment, 28 infants were diagnosed with ASD using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule.
According to researchers, children with ASD had higher fractional anisotropy “followed by slower change over time relative to infants without ASDs.” Radial and axial diffusivity also seemed to be associated with ASD. These results appear to indicate that infants with aberrant white matter development go on to develop ASD.
“The altered trajectories of development seen here ostensibly begin in advance of the onset of clinical symptoms, suggesting that core behavioral features of ASDs may arise from an altered neurobiological foundation,” the researchers wrote. “Instantiated by these preliminary results, the organization of neural networks underlying ASDs appears to be characterized by atypical patterns of connectivity that differ across systems and time and are not specific to any single brain region or behavioral domain.”
Disclosure: The study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Autism Speaks and the Simons Foundation. Additional funding was received from the National Alliance for Medical Image Computing.
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As this study highlights, we have entered an important period in neurodevelopmental medicine, with the convergence of clinical observational science with basic neuroscience. We are gaining both a deeper understanding of the early emergence of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as cerebral palsy, as well as their specific origins within the brain, through the newest methods of both imaging and molecular genetics.
Paul H. Lipkin, MD
Infectious Diseases in Children Editorial Board member
Disclosure: Dr. Lipkin reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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