French people have identified a cerebral marker of autism making possible early diagnosis and treatment.
More than 60 years after the first description of autistic syndromes, this major handicap remains enigmatic. The causes of these disorders, which mainly affect social relations and communication, are still little known. But recent data suggest genetic tracks as well as neurological damage. Neuroimaging notably suggests the existence of cerebral anomalies in the wrinkling of the cerebral cortex.
Thanks to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), French researchers have been able to highlight a specific marker of autism in one of the convolutions of the brain. The CNRS team, Aix-Marseille University and the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille publish their discovery in the review Brain Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.
In the folds of the brain
The French team was interested in a marker called “sulcal pit”. “This is the deepest point in each sulcus of the cerebral cortex. It is from these points that the folds present on the surface of the brain develop”, explains the CNRS in a press release. These appear very early in development and continue to deepen with age, probably under genetic influence. These folds are therefore good indicators for comparing individuals with each other.
Using the MRI results, the researchers observed the sulcal pits of 102 boys aged 2 to 10, classified into 3 groups: 59 children with typical autism, 21 young boys with an unspecified pervasive developmental disorder and 22 children with no neurodevelopmental disorder.
By comparing these groups, the scientists found that in Broca’s area – a region of the brain that specializes in language and communication – the maximum depth of a sulcus was less in children with autism compared to those without. A detectable anomaly in the youngest children of the cohort. In addition, they noticed a correlation between this atrophy and language disorders.
Revolutionizing autism care
For the researchers, this anomaly specific to children with typical autism could make it possible to establish a very early diagnosis, from the age of 2, and early treatment. A revolution for these children and their families since today the diagnosis of autism is made on average at 4 and a half years old.
However, further studies in larger numbers of children will need to be performed to confirm that this brain marker is specific for autism. This work will also make it possible to understand why this anomaly appears in this very particular area.
French researchers have identified a cerebral marker of autism making it possible to diagnose and manage…
Posted by whydoctor on Saturday, January 16, 2016