A new medical imaging technique can detect autism in babies’ brains. It will soon be tested in France.
- Autism is manifested by behavioral, communication and interaction disorders.
- These disorders have multifactorial causes, but three main risk factors have been established: prematurity, being a boy and family history.
- About 700,000 people have autism in France according to Inserm.
The first signs of autism can appear as early as 18 months, however, the children concerned are between 3 and 5 years old on average, at the time of diagnosis. For the High Authority of Healthit is important to shorten this period, because “the earlier the diagnosis is made, the earlier the interventions can be put in place and will help the child in his development.“
An innovation, created by the start-up Iconeus, could make it possible to spot the disorder much earlier.
Ultrasound at the heart of this autism screening tool
The company has made a new medical imaging device to perform ultrasound scans of babies’ brains to spot signs of autism spectrum disorder. “Seeing the brain in operation remains difficult in babies”explains Mickaël Tanter, director of the wave physics unit for medicine and researcher at Inserm, at the origin of this new technique, in an interview with West France. Ultrasound technology, which is non-invasive and can be repeated without risk, makes this possible.
Concretely, a probe is placed on the baby’s fontanelle, the upper part of his skull, then the machine is started and observes the variations in blood flow in the brain. “We can make a strong hypothesis that the beginnings of connectivity failures appear from the first months”, adds Mickaël Tanter. However, according to the researcher and his teams, communication anomalies between the different areas of the brain could be one of the explanations for the appearance of autistic disorders.
Autism screening technique soon to be tested in Paris
The new screening method will be tested from the beginning of 2023, at the Robert-Debré hospital (Paris 19th).ETechnically, these investigations can only take place for children at risk, premature or with a high family risk, who will necessarily be followed.says neurologist Pierre Gressens, to West France. Participating children will be followed for three years.
How is autism detected today?
In France, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders first passes through the attending physician, who observes the evolution of the child during his first years. Communication or motor skills problems can be a red flag. In this case, the healthcare professional recommends additional examinations: ENT, ophthalmological, speech therapy, etc.
“Autism manifests itself in very diverse ways, the diagnosis will have to mobilize professionals from different disciplines (child psychiatrists, psychologists, rehabilitation professionals, etc.) specifically trained in neurodevelopmental disorders and autism.expands the HAS.
When the diagnosis is difficult to establish, families can be referred to institutions specializing in neurodevelopmental disorders.
